FEBRUARY 2, 2012 • THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER OF SWARTHMORE COLLEGE SINCE 1881 • VOLUME 135, ISSUE 3
THE
PHOENIX
Inside: Mawrter reimagines the American DREAM New columnist teaches the act of reading Swarthmore professors pick the Super Bowl
r e w o P of Words Renowned spoken word artist and Penn graduate Joshua Bennett will deliver a poetry performance today in LPAC alongside O.A.S.I.S. to kick off Black History Month. p.11
The Phoenix
Thursday, February, 2 2012 Volume 135, Issue 3
The independent campus newspaper of Swarthmore College since 1881. EDITORIAL BOARD Marcus Mello Editor in Chief Camila Ryder Managing Editor Adam Schlegel News Editor Koby Levin Assistant News Editor Brad Lenox Living & Arts Editor Steven Hazel Assistant Living & Arts Editor Reem Abdou Opinions Editor Tim Bernstein Sports Editor Allegra Pocinki Photo Editor Cindy Luu Social Media Coordinator Peter Akkies Webmaster Eric Sherman Webmaster
Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix
A member of the women’s swim team dives into the pool. The women fell to Gettysburg 110-95, while the men lost by a score of 11055 on Senior Day at Ware Pool. PAGE 20
News Swatties meaning
re-envision the of diaspora
A new course is being offered by the English Literature Department this semester that connects Swarthmore students with students at a sister school in Ghana to examine the cultural and literary traditions of diasporas in a collaborative manner. PAGE 3
SBC lowers student activities fee after much debate
In response to concerns regarding historical rollover excess for student groups, the Student Budget Committee has voted to decrease the student activities fee beginning next academic year. PAGE 5
Navigating relationships PAGE 14 with the good old Kanye What role does race and West ethnicity play in the GOP? A new column with a new take on Swarthmore relationships from a male perspective muses on the lessons you can learn from even the worst relationships. PAGE 8
Tyler Becker and Sam Sussman offer opposing analyses of the claim that Republican politicians and political strategies are marred by racism. PAGE 15
Rehak explores nostalgia, The coming age of Pax Pamedia and the role of the fan cifica: chances and chalProfessor Bob Rehak of the Film and Media Studies Department discussed monsters, lenges models and how fandom merges mass media with personal identity. PAGE 8
Picking beer is like picking books: dry, dense or chewy
Comparing beer purchases to the search for a good book, Brad Lenox offers some tips on which types of beer to buy with profiles of Pilsner, Porter, and India Pale Ale. PAGE 9
Shiran Shen analyzes the nature of the rise of China, as well as why and how the U.S. should seize the opportunities to reinforce its leadership role in mediating disputes and maintaining peace in the Asia-Pacific. PAGE 16
Sports
Palestinian children’s drawings find sanctuary at Swat A$AP Rocky’s album asks After being blocked by a Jewish lobby from their original destination at an Oakland the question: cash or more How responsible are manmuseum, drawings created by Palestin- cash? agers for their players? ian children during the Israeli invasion of In his debut column, James Ivey takes a Gaza in 2009 will be coming to Swarthmore for a brief exhibition scheduled for April. PAGE 6
Living & Arts Fly Union returns to Swarthmore for LSE “appetizer”
The Fly Union performance at Olde Club last Friday managed to transcend disappointment with the LSE committee because of the groups’ originality and enthusiasm in their own music. PAGE 7
Dylan Jensen reviews A$AP Rocky’s new album, LIVELOVEA$AP, and tries to determine whether a starter album deserves $3 million from a record label. PAGE 12
New campus clubs offer The need to find greatness chances to read and play Writer Alli Shultes examines three Swarth- somewhere, somehow more clubs that combine hobbies with companionship: the Shogi Club, the Graphic Novel Club and the Bridge Club. PAGE 12
Opinions
The Phoenix brings to light the financial distress the Chester Upland school district is facing and how we as Swarthmore students can impact those dire circumstances in the nearby city.
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The Giants and the Patriots aren’t great teams, and they weren’t destined to play each other in the Super Bowl. So why are we being told otherwise? PAGE 19
Corrections
Orchestra 2001 challenges Collapse of Chester schools: convention and expectation worlds apart, minutes away Sunday’s concert featured the Swarthmore
affiliated orchestra that challenges traditional ideas of what it means to be an orchestra, which includes new arrangements and composers as well as performances in Cuba and West Virginia. PAGE 7
look at the recent controversy in English soccer, and asks what kind of control managers should have over players they know to be aggressive. PAGE 17
FROM THE JANUARY 26, 2012 ISSUE The photo on last week’s contents page (2) was attributed to Julia Carleton, when it was actually taken by Justin Toran-Burrell.
February 2, 2012
STAFF Amanda Epstein News Writer Charles Hepper News Writer Yi-Wei Liu News Writer Sera Jeong Living & Arts Writer Samme Sheikh Living & Arts Writer Allison Shultes Living & Arts Writer Chi Zhang Living & Arts Writer Dylan Jensen Living & Arts Columnist Nate Blum Living & Arts Columnist Vianca Masucci Living & Arts Columnist Lanie Schlessinger Living & Arts Columnist Renu Nadkarni Living & Arts Artist Naia Poyer Living & Arts Artist Tyler Becker Opinions Columnist Danielle Charette Opinions Columnist Harshil Sahai Opinions Columnist Shirhan Shen Opinions Columnist Sam Sussman Opinions Columnist Emma Waitzman Political Cartoonist James Ivey Sports Columnist Axel Kodat Blogger Julia Carleton Photographer Cristina Matamoros Photographer Holly Smith Photographer Justin Toran-Burrell Photographer Sophie Diamond Copy Editor Taylor Hodges Copy Editor Jaimi Kim Copy Editor Axel Kodat Copy Editor Margaret Lawlace Copy Editor Vija Lietuvninkas Copy Editor BUSINESS STAFF Business Manager Paul Chung Circulation Manager Emily Richardson COVER DESIGN Amelia Kucic COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF: joshbennettthepoet.tumblr.com CONTRIBUTORS Henry Ainley, Maria Anleu, Victor Brady, Amelia Dornbush OPINIONS BOARD Reem Abdou, Marcus Mello and Camila Ryder EDITOR’S PICKS PHOTOS COURTESY OF: (clockwise from top left) traveldiary101.blogspot.com myaimzistrue.blogspot.com rising.jhu.edu CARTOON HEADSHOT ON PAGE 9: Naia Porter TO ADVERTISE: E-mail: advertising@swarthmorephoenix.com Advertising phone: (610) 328-7362 Address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Direct advertising requests to Amelia Possanza. The Phoenix reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Advertising rates subject to change. CONTACT INFORMATION Offices: Parrish Hall 470-472 E-mail: editor@swarthmorephoenix.com Newsroom phone: (610) 328-8172 Address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Web site: www.swarthmorephoenix.com Mail subscriptions are available for $60 a year or $35 a semester. Direct subscription requests to Marcus Mello. The Phoenix is printed at Bartash Printing, Inc. The Phoenix is a member of the Associated College Press and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association. All contents copyright © 2012 The Phoenix. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.
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Events Menu
Swatties re-envision the meaning of diaspora
Today The Bathtub Debates: Vollmer vs. Tierney vs. Marissen Are you a sophomore looking for a major? The Peaslee Debate Society in collaboration with the Deans Office present The Bathtub Debates, an annual event that features three professors from each academic division, will take place at 7 p.m. in Sci 101. Joshua Bennett Poetry Performance Swarthmore’s O.A.S.I.S. poetry group will be laying down some verses alongside renowned spoken word artist and 2010 UPenn graduate, Joshua Bennett, in LPAC’s Pearson Theater at 8 p.m. Tomorrow Collection in Honor of Black History Month and Religion and Spirituality Week Head over to the Friends Meeting House at 1 p.m. to hear the Reverend Dr. Charles Howard, Chaplain at UPenn, speak on leading from within to kick off Black History Month and Spirituality Week. Comparative Politics Candidate Lecture A candidate for the comparative politics position in the Political Science Department, Dr. Payam Mohseni, will be hosting a lecture entitled “Guardian Politics in Iran: A Comparative Inquiry into the Dynamics of Regime Survival” in Trotter 301 at 4:15 p.m. “Glory” Movie Screening Starring Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, “Glory” depicts the stories of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first formal unit of the US Army made up entirely of African-American men. The movie will begin at 8 p.m. in the LPAC Cinema. Saturday, January 4th Lantern Festival Celebration Join the Swarthmore Chinese Society in celebrating the lantern festival in Shane Lounge at 7 p.m. with lanterns-making activities, desserts as well as a surprise guest performer. Monday, February 6th iDevice Clinic ITS will be answering any questions you may have regarding handheld devices in the Beardsley Media Center at 3 p.m. (iFriend problems will not be addressed at this session.) One Act Play Festival interest meet If you would like to let your inner Thespian out, but don’t have the time in your busy Swarthmore schedule, the Drama Board may have an answer for you. Both actors and directors are being sought, so come on down to Kohlberg 115 at 5 p.m. to see what it’s all about. Submissions to the events menus may be sent to news@swarthmorephoenix. com
Julia Carleton The Phoenix
Professors Sunka Simon, left, and Carina Yervasi, right, lead a lecture in the new course “Re-envisioning Diasporas,” in which Swarthmore students have the opportunity to communicate and collaborate with Ghanaian students at Ashesi University.
By Charlie Hepper chepper1@swarthmore.edu Overcoming the limitations of the traditional classroom environment and enabling students to actively participate with their peers in the emerging global learning community has long been a goal for modern higher education. “Re-envisioning Diasporas,” a collaborative and interdisciplinary seminarstyle course established this year between Swarthmore College and Asheshi University in Ghana, aims to accomplish just this. Swarthmore faculty members Sunka Simon, associate professor of German and film and media studies, and Carina Yervasi, associate professor of French, developed the course together and co-teach the curriculum in conjunction with Professor Mikelle Antoine of Ashesi University, located near Accra, Ghana. The project was funded by grants from the SUNY Center for Online International Collaborative Learning and the TriCollege Digital Humanities Initiative, a teaching and research collaboration that seeks to understand the expertise students and faculty need as citizens and professionals in a networked world. The course is being offered by the English Literature Department, with enrollment at seven students from Swarthmore and 30 from Ghana. The centerpiece of the class’s meeting this past Tuesday was a group Skype session with their Ashesi counterparts via a large projection screen. Individuals in both classes addressed their peers before the camera and seemed very eager to share their observations and opinions, with participants on both sides queuing and competing for speaking time. While students offered many interesting perspectives, the discussion format remained rooted in individual monologue, making conversational exchange and response to individual points difficult. Issues touched on in the discussion included the authority that one’s voice possesses, with many students in both classes drawing on their personal experiences as members of linguistic minorities and polyglot communities. The primary themes explored by the course include globalization, nationality and the nature of one’s identity as a member of a diaspora. Students examine the experiences of communities that have been separated from their homelands as well as the ways in which these groups are represented through historical, visual, aural and literary sources from Turkey, Lat-
THE PHOENIX February 2, 2012
in America and West Africa. Simon hopes the course will provide students with firsthand experience in international and cross-cultural communications through the means of Skype, blogging and other interactive forms of cooperative learning with their fellow participating students in Ghana. “We hope the students learn professional life-skills, appreciating the difficulties and rewards inherent in committed cross-cultural communication, prodding them to take up careers in international cooperations (NGOS and others) bringing with them a sensitivity and experience-base outshining some of their less tested competitors,” Simon said. “At the same time, students will have worked with several technological tools, including the production and editing of sound files, still images and film, thus providing them with additional hands-on experience to list on their resumes.” Katie Schultz ’13 describes a typical class as including a “10 to 30 minute Skype session with students from both schools discussing the assigned readings and media with each other.” From time to time, class structure develops a collaborative or group-focused orientation, in which a Swarthmore student might discuss class material with several Ghanaian peers via blogging or voice-recording. “This approach has helped me gain a lot of insight into how their points of view differ from mine,” Schultz said. Professor Simon notes that technological difficulties and disparities between the classes are not uncommon, regarding this as another vital aspect of the class’s overall experience. “Students are already discovering the perpetual non-simultaneity of new media, even as that new media promises to overcome the obstacles of time differences and space,” Simon said, adding that the frequent malfunctioning of electricity or technology has led to the adoption of “minding and living with the gap” and a “No-Frustration policy” as course mottoes. The unique opportunities for cross-cultural interaction and learning through multimedia provided by this class were major selling points for current students enrolled in the course. Kara Stoever ’12, a biology and English double major, stated that she couldn’t turn down the opportunity to join the course. “Though Swarthmore is diverse in many ways, to discuss diasporic movements with students in Ghana who identify as part of diasporas has been incredibly meaningful,” she said. Swarthmore graduate Patrick Awuah ’89 established Ashesi in 2002. The school was the first liberal arts institution established in the West African state of Ghana. Ashesi has previously collaborated with Swarthmore, the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Washington in designing its academic programs.
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Bryn Mawr student publicly announces undocumented status
Week in pictures
Maria Anleu The Phoenix
Dr. Shervin Malekzadeh, a candidate for the Comparative Politics position in the Political Science Dept., hosted a lecture on Iranian education last Monday.
Julia Carleton The Phoenix
Composer and musician Ted Nash hosted a jazz masterclass yesterday afternoon in LPAC.
Maria Anleu The Phoenix
The women’s rugby team convened for snacks and conversation at a luau party in Shane lounge last night.
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By koby levin jlevin1@swarthmore.edu When an activist friend invited Jessica Hyejin Lee to lobby for the DREAM Act in the U.S. Capitol Building, Lee hesitated — she was scared. As an undocumented immigrant, she knew that entering the heart of the government could lead to her arrest and deportation, ending the life she had built in the land she called home. Lee, a junior double-major in physics and political science at Bryn Mawr, decided to go anyway, but she didn’t get deported. Instead, she ended up revealing her undocumented status to a pair of Senators. “I almost wasn’t going to go, but I did, lobbying openly for the first time, saying I was undocumented,” Lee said. “I got to talk with two Senators and some legal aides, and I told them I was undocumented, that I worked hard in school and was contributing to America. That’s how I found out it’s OK to lobby even though I’m undocumented,” Lee said. Since then, Lee has used her undocumented status to continue advocating for immigrant rights. Last November, she and eight other undocumented students traveled with a group of activists to Alabama, where she assited in the staging of a sit-in at the state capitol building in protest of a bill that would have cut off undocumented immigrants’ electricity and running water. Though Lee didn’t get arrested, many others did. Still, no one got deported. The city released them along with a statement that they were, in fact, documented residents, which she claims was intended to play down the incident. Lee plans to bring her activism to Swarthmore in late February as part of her latest project, “Be A Sanctuary,” which presses institutions to promise they will not reveal the immigration status of those under their jurisdiction. A precedent has been set in New Haven, CT, where the police department never asks for immigration papers. “I’m trying to build support from individual organizations to raise awareness and a sense of urgency that there are these undocumented immigrants who are so limited and are not free in this country,” she said. “These are undocumented Americans.” Her visit to Swarthmore will be part of an effort to get the entire Tri-Co to “go sanctuary.” Swarthmore is currently not an official sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, but its Admissions Department policy, like Bryn Mawr’s, is status blind. “We welcome all students from all backgrounds to apply,” Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Jim Bock ’91 said in an e-mail. “If they are admitted, we meet need regardless of status,” Bock said. Lee’s activism is bolstered by her immigration status, which provides an inspiring narrative and has even attracted media attention. To some, the attention she has garnered seems like an invitation for depor-
February 2, 2012
tation. “The other day I was on the front page of The Philadelphia Enquirer and people were concerned about that exposure,” she said. “They said, ‘what are you going to do now, are you going to be careful about your status?’” To others, though, media attention helps protect against deportation. “People who come out as undocumented have a better network behind them,” Jovanna Hernandez ’13 said, a gender and sexuality studies major who has been involved with immigrant rights activism through the on campus organization Swatties for a Dream. “Once people know about an undocumented immigrant, they are more likely to fight that person’s deportation,” Hernandez said. Lee believes that she is protected by being “out,” dismissing concerns that she will be deported with a motto — “I am undocumented, unafraid and unapologetic.” Still, her friends voiced measurable concern. “I am concerned about [her being deported] especially because her story garnered so much attention,” Elena Swartz ’13, a Bryn Mawr growth and structure of cities major, said in an e-mail. “However, she does have a very supportive community at Bryn Mawr and at DREAMActivist PA (an immigrant rights organization with which Lee has been involved) and beyond who have strategies and are willing to help if she was detained,” Swartz said. The “supportive community” at Bryn Mawr was not aware of Lee’s immigration status during her initial flurry of activism. Lee was concerned about the effect her coming out might have in the “very personal, small space” of Bryn Mawr, but she finally decided that she “wanted to influence the opinions of people around me. They were so close, and they were all opportunities to make a difference.” Thus she found herself holding the microphone at Judith Butler’s second lecture last fall, ostensibly asking a question but really making a statement: “I said ‘Hi, I’m Jessica Lee, class of 2013, and I’m undocumented,’” Lee said. “The whole auditorium became noisy.” The reaction at Bryn Mawr was overwhelmingly positive, said Edward Menefee, a sophomore at Haverford who is currently dating Lee. “Professors have invited her to speak to their classes. Other students, staff, and alumni have come out as currently or formerly undocumented. Administrators are meeting with her to talk about what can be done on campus for undocumented Americans,” Menefee said. Lee’s efforts on “Be A Sanctuary” continue alongside the demonstrations she is organizing. On March 12th she will symbolically come out again, this time in Love Park, located in Center City, Philadephia, to protest a deportation. Protesters there are likely to carry signs just like the ones Lee laid in Alabama: “we will no longer be in the shadows.” THE PHOENIX
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SBC lowers student activities fee after much debate By yi-wei liu yliu2@swarthmore.edu
Following a series of long and contentious debates, the Student Budget Committee recently decided to lower the student activities fee. The SBC consists of eight students who are appointed by the Swarthmore Student Council, and meet weekly to discuss the funding of student groups and campus-wide events. This funding comes from a student activities fee that almost all students not studying abroad are required to pay. The fee for the 2011-2012 academic year was $334, recently deemed by the SBC as too high to be justified. The process that led to the decision to lower the fee involved thorough internal discussion among SBC members throughout the fall. A recommendation to lower the student activities fee by the SBC was then made to the Student Council for review at the end of the fall semester. In the past week, the Student Council adopted the SBC recommendation and submitted it to the administration. In the next two weeks, the Board of Managers will ultimately decide whether to lower the fee and incorporate the new fee into the overall Swarthmore budget. While the fee is a small fraction of the overall tuition at Swarthmore, it still represents a significant cost for students and parents. “We view our charge as supporting student life, but also spending as responsibly and, especially due to recent economic trends, as tightly as possible. Swarthmore is an expensive experience and the SBC wanted to take responsibility for the area of that cost that we oversee, ” Amelia Mitter-Burke ’13, chairperson of the SBC, said. Student groups seeking funding from the SBC are required to fill out a form to the Student Budget Office, and all money must be spent in accordance to Student Activities Account regulations. Yet at the end of each academic year, some student groups still retain excess funds that they did not need to use. Lowering the student activities fee helps the SBC reduce budgeting inefficiency and yearly rollover waste that is either lavishly spent at the end of the year or simply remain unused. The SBC members agreed that Swarthmore’s wealth could support a rich, dynamic student life without the need to charge students as much money as the current fee. Nonetheless, there was considerable debate over how much the fee should be decreased, and the vote on whether to recommend the smaller decrease or the larger decrease came down to a tie. Mitter-Burke, as SBC chairperson, had the tie-breaking vote between the two proposals. “I chose the smaller decrease. I believe we should take it slow in the reforms we are making this year and lower the fee further next year if our efforts work well, and that we need to explore how different levels of the fee contribute
Holly Smith The Phoenix
The Student Budget Committee’s lowering of the student activities fee, included in tuition, will go into effect beginning in the 2012-2013 academic year. to the financial and social accessibility of Swarthmore,” she said. The SBC decision to lower the fee is expected to receive both support and concern from students. “I am in support of the move if the cut is significant and improves efficiency,” Shiv Bhandari ’12 said, a former member of the SBC. “When I was in the SBC, I suggested larger cuts of $20-30 rather than the $5 cut they eventually implemented, because we should manage a smaller budget properly and not simply make gestures,” he said. The student activities fee for this year was recommended by the SBC and Student Council and set by the Board of Managers last year. The lowering of the fee, if ultimately approved, will be in effect in the academic year 2012-2013. The Board of Managers’ decision will be announced when it approves a budget for next year in the next two weeks.
around higher education
Philadelphia bar hours now extended to 3 a.m. By Deanna kerley www.thedp.com, Jan. 31, 2012 A new bill under deliberation may present a catch-22 for local residents. The bill would allow Philadelphia bars to stay open until 3 a.m. — an hour later than the current closing time — and would donate the extra revenue toward the School District of Philadelphia.“Education is the single biggest indicator of success for children and youth, and the greatest deterrent from crime,” Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, who introduced the bill, said in a statement. However, Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said extended business hours of bars may cause an increase in alcohol-related crimes around campus. “Nothing good happens after 2 a.m.,” Rush said. “There’s definitely a correlation between accidents and alcohol.” “If you make it 3 a.m., they’ll be there until 4 a.m. We don’t want people walking the streets intoxicated at 4 a.m,” she added.The bill is expected to raise $5 million for the School District of Philadelphia. $42 million of liquor taxes in 2010 will also be donated to the school district. Currently, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has sole authority over determining the business hours of the state’s bars. Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown is introducing the bill to the State House of Representatives to give the city control over bar hours.The bill must be passed in the State General Assembly to receive approval for practice in Philadelphia. “In this day and age of budget shortfalls and declining education funding, we must think of creative solutions, thinking outside the box and exhaust unconventional avenues of revenue,” Councilwoman Brown said in a statement.With the bill still under deliberation, the Division of Public Safety has not made any significant preparations for the potential increase in crime. “It’s still in a very early stage. We’re already doing all that we can,” Rush said. Bar staff also hope to prevent alcohol-related incidents. “As a bartender, you have the authority and responsibility to cut people off. It’s not much different if it’s 2 or 3 a.m.,” said Chris Ryan, a bartender at Smokey Joe’s. Local bars do not believe the bill would bring significant change to the ebb and flow of patrons. Blarney Stone owner and manager Rich Roller — who has owned Blarney since he purchased the establishment in 1999 —said he does not believe the new law would increase his sales “because kids will [just] start going out later” and “pregame a little longer.” According to Roller, business hours at bars do not see a constant stream of business. Instead, sales peak at certain hours and dissipate near the end of the night. If anything, the new bill will simply shift the peak times back an hour, he added. “I don’t think it’s going to impact us that much. Other bars in the city, maybe. They might benefit because they get a lot of transient customers,” he said. “It’s not going to add an hour of drinking to their time frame.” The new law would not have “much of an effect on business,” Ryan agreed. “People are kind of used to leaving at two.”
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Palestinian children’s drawings find sanctuary at Swat
By amanda epstein aepstei1@swarthmore.edu After being blocked by Jewish lobbyists in Oakland, California, an exhibit of drawings by Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip will be coming to Swarthmore on April 6. The project’s originator and organizer, Susan Johnson, met with the Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine (SPJP) on Monday night to discuss the specifics of their collaboration effort. The drawings were collected by Johnson herself, who, in 2009, visited the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory that borders Egypt and Israel and is home to approximately 1.5 million people. Operation Cast Lead, a three-week bombing and invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israel that took place in early 2009, resulted in the death of around 1,300 Palestinians and caused enormous and largely irreversible destruction (to the regional economy and infrastructure). Johnson and her group visited centers, where they were shown drawings made by Gaza’s children as part of an art therapy program that dealt with the trauma sustained during these three weeks of invasion. “I sat and I cried the whole time [the director] was showing the pictures to us ... I decided that there had to be a traveling exhibit of these children’s drawings,” Johnson said during the meeting. Johnson contacted six different centers that then asked their children to create drawings themed around the experiences they lived through on the weeks of Operation Cast Lead. The drawings were created with the express purpose of showing them to the rest of the world. “I think that seeing a child’s suffering through his paintings can send a strong message,” SPJP President Ahmad Ammous ’13 said. Ammous is an international student from Ramallah, a city in Palestine’s West Bank. After passing through 10 states and being received quite enthusiastically, the collection, titled “A Child’s View From Gaza,” traveled to California’s Museum of Children’s Art in Oakland (MOCHA), where it was blocked by Jewish groups, according to Johnson. “I was devastated, because I was so excited that the drawings were going to be in a museum — a real museum,” she said. “But in the long run they shot themselves in the foot ... We would have never gotten that kind of attention if it weren’t for them [the Jewish groups].” Daniel Hirschel-Burns ’14, a Jew and active member of SPJP, does not understand how anyone could have blocked the exhibit. He said that the images were “powerful” and “far more disturbing” than he could have imagined. “To not feel anything after seeing these pictures, and to think that they are purely a political statement, I think, is missing the point. These are just children and they suffered terribly,” he said. “Even if you are pro-Israel and you believe that Operation Cast
Courtesy of http://tiny.cc/ywbtp
This drawing from the upcoming exhibit is one of the many drawings by children from Gaza that were a part of an art therapy program.
Lead was a strategic move that Israel had to make, not allowing the suffering of these innocent children to be exhibited is pretty incomprehensible.” Ammous, like Hirschel-Burns, thinks it is a shame that some groups are willing to use their influence to prevent “the truth from coming out.” “This is not an armed militant who’s being subjected to such horror, but kids,” he said. “Hopefully the exhibit will increase awareness of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip, and make sure that the attacks are not forgotten.” The children whose drawings will be displayed are aged seven to fourteen. The collection is tentatively scheduled to arrive at the college for four or five days later this year in April.
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Fly Union returns to Swarthmore for LSE “appetizer” by samme sheikh
ssamme2@swarthmore.edu
It doesn’t take a lot to have a fun rap concert. Besides a venue with an elevated stage and some space for an audience, all that’s required for a successful performance is a basic level of competency from the rappers. This means that rappers don’t have to showcase a distinct lyrical style or engage the audience with interesting themes. To put on a satisfying show, rappers need only to present a recognizably “hip-hop” product. Fly Union, the rap group that performed at Olde Club on Jan. 27, did just that. The trio from Ohio composed of Iye Ball, Jay Swif and Jerreau Smith performed into existence a ghostly apparition of hip hop, shared and enjoyed by all the students who attended the concert that evening. By manipulating particular circumstances inherent to the nature of performance, the group rendered both the form and appearance of hip-hop, but without any of the substance. This emulation of rap, in terms of verbal content, derives from a general grasp of mainstream hip-hop’s ideas on rhyme, cadence, delivery and other formal elements of rap. Most people in America have a vague, unconscious familiarity with these conventions simply due to the extent to which hip-hop has entered into the popular culture. Most of what rappers say at their concerts isn’t audible anyway; in order to pull off a successful show, the performers simply have to sound like they’re rapping. Since subject matter has long since become a formalized part of hip hop, it would probably work in a rapper’s favor if he or she performed a love song featuring queasy, over the top imagery, or just dropped synonyms for marijuana and cash on every drum note. This was an integral aspect of Fly Union’s performance
at Olde Club. Over the rhythmic din of instrumental music, most of their songs’ verbal content was wasted on the audience, and the occasional exception of predictably emphasized end rhyme served to reinforce their “rapper” status and bolster the image of hip hop they were inflating. Conveying this familiar hip-hop vibe also requires an adherence to production or “beatmaking” trends. Innovative approaches to making beats periodically take the rap world by storm, with Kanye West’s brand of chipmunk soul and Lex Luger’s trademarked combo of sweeping operatic vocals and frenetic drums serving as chief examples of how these sounds can define taste for years. Since the members of Fly Union produce their own beats as opposed to paying for the production talents of professionals, as most other rappers do, they are uniquely positioned to appeal to the sensibilities of listeners. The beats Fly Union rapped over in their concert lay within the parameters of the public’s cultivated tastes, and as a result, they could get away with not really rapping and still be seen as hip hop artists — people who provide cultural products comparable to those of Nas, RZA or any other eminent artists in rap’s history. Fly Union’s concert at Olde Club could’ve been billed as a three person DJ set and not a hip-hop concert if it wasn’t for Fly Union’s unmistakable appearance that informed their rap credentials. Three young black men, all dressed in the idealized urbanwear of todays “new rap,” walked onto Olde Club’s stage last Friday night, proceeded to jump, talk, sweat, rhyme and smoke whilst bass-heavy instrumentals looped and college students danced. People who attended the concert or were considering attending the concert seemed to have made note of this distinction between actual rap music and a fun hip-hop performance. “They [Fly Union] put on a great performance, it felt
like a party,” Amelia Kucic ’15 said. Steve McFarland ’15 was hesitant to attend the Fly Union concert at first. “I wasn’t planning on going because I didn’t like their [Fly Union] music, but I ended up just going because I thought it’d be fun,” McFarland said.Mcfarland’s ambivalence towards the show was echoed in the conversations of students on campus in the days leading up to the concert. This was because of the Large Scale Events committee’s long-publicized efforts to secure a popularly chosen recording artist to perform after winter break. To many, Fly Union’s concert, which was advertised as an “appetizer” for the performance of some more famous artist at later date, actually appeared as a gesture of appeasement from the LSE for not booking artists that they initially said they would bring to Swarthmore. However, LSE Chair Shane Ogunnaike ’12 said that Fly Union’s show is actually representative of a difficult and convoluted booking process. “The bookings we were working towards fell through in a matter of days,” Ogunnaike said. “We were able to easily book Fly Union because of our previous relationship,” Ogunnaike said referring to Fly Union’s performance at the 2010 Worthstock. The hubbub and disgruntled sentiments surrounding Fly Union’s concert dissipated at the actual event. The members of the rap group were a dynamic bunch, able to cajole typically languid Swarthmore concert goers into a rowdy, dancing, and all around jubilant crowd. The LSE brought a fun party to Olde Club, but when judged as a hip-hop show, Fly Union’s performance fell short of showcasing an individual artistic identity within the rap genre, which in a perfect world, should serve as the sole criterion for designating a show as a rap concert. Disclaimer note: Amelia Kucic is a graphic designer for The Phoenix. She had no involvement with the production of this article.
Orchestra 2001 challenges convention and expectation by chi zhang
czhang1@swarthmore.edu
When thinking of a traditional orchestra performance, one image comes to mind: an incredibly large ensemble, toiling through a long and complex threemovement symphony. We even imagine the classical and traditional sounds of a violin, viola or cello in a Schubert or Mozart composition. At Sunday’s Orchestra 2001 concert, the performance veered from the typical sounds of an orchestra, with instrumentation ranging from a solo violin with live electronics to exotic percussion and voice. Orchestra 2001’s ensemble performed contemporary American composer George Crumb’s “Voice from the Heartland: American Songbook VII,” as well as Louis Andriessen’s “Letter from Cathy” and “Anthèmes II” by Pierre Boulez. With the mission to “perform and promote the music of the 20th and 21st centuries, premiering new works, providing a major focus for the best new music of our time, while introducing unknown older works, and reaching out to regional and international audiences through recordings and tours,” Orchestra 2001 brought audiences into a new and diverse music world. “I hope they [audiences] are curious when they come. We are not doing Beethoven symphonies, Mozart symphonies which you know; we are doing something that you probably never heard before,” James Freeman, professor emeritus of music at Swarthmore and conductor and artistic director of Philadelphia’s Orchestra 2001, said. Freeman shared his thoughts on choosing these pieces and putting them in certain order. “‘Voices from the Heartland’ is a world premiere by a very important and significant composer and that was where the program began,” he said. This indispensable and internationally well-known composer is George Crumb who received
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the Pultizer Prize for Music in 1968. Besides this approximately 45-minute piece, Orchestra 2001 performed this Sunday a piece by Boulez, a French composer of contemporary classical music, in each of their upcoming performances. Boulez’s piece “Anthèmes II” is regarded by Freeman as an interesting addition in comparison with the music of Crumb. The set-up of the percussion instruments is a very significant element that Freeman must take into consideration. “We had to have that whole percussion situation in place because it takes three hours to set it up. You can’t set it up in intermission,” he said. The first half of the performance needs to contain relatively short pieces in order to fit for the whole percussion set-up. In addition to the selection from Boulez, Freeman chose the short piece “Letter from Cathy” by Andriessen, a Dutch composer. According to Freeman, it is a very touching piece. As one of the super stars of the contemporary music in the ’50s and 60s, “Cathy” is known by many in contemporary music circles. This intimate and quiet piece is quite a contrast to those of Boulez and Crumb. Upon first reading the concert’s program, audience members in attendance may have felt confused as to why “Letter from Cathy” was to be played twice. “I’ve often thought that with a new piece of music, a piece that nobody has heard before, it would be nice to do it twice. But you can’t do big pieces twice,” Freeman said. “This short piece is six minutes long so you can do it twice and the audience gets to hear it for the second time.” Together with the careful and comprehensive consideration of Freeman, the highly professional performers and composers ensured the success of this auditory feast. Gloria Justen, a violinist and composer who played the violin, has an abundance of performance experiences under her belt, often with different
kinds of ensembles like the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. Justen believes that Boulez wants each memeber of the audience to have their own experience of the song and to enjoy the sounds. “What is interesting about this piece is the combination of the human being playing a physical instrument and the sounds which are generated by the computer. So it’s a conversation between the violin and these computerized sounds,” Justen said. Marlon Cooper ’14, who plays the French Horn and is a member of Swarthmore College Orchestra, expressed his appreciation for the violin solo. “I thought the performance was really interesting, especially the Boulez,” Cooper said. “The amount of effort the violinist must have put into learning that piece must have been tremendous, and the electronics in the piece were the best I’ve heard, although I have not heard many electronic pieces to begin with.” Peggy Thompson, a member of the chorus and the Balinese Gamelan (Indonesian percussion orchestra) at the college, attends Orchestra 2001 concerts whenever she can, along with her husband Peter Thompson, professor emeritus of chemistry. “For us, largely, it is a learning experience,” she said. “We didn’t grow up with this music at all. We had classical music.” However, upon discovering Orchestra 2001, the Thompsons realized that the more they attend the performances, the more they can enjoy the beauty of the music. “In the beginning, you just couldn’t understand. But I just enjoy listening to it and find it fascinating,” Peggy Thompson said. Thompson also commented on George Crumb’s works, some of which she had listened to before the concert. “One of the things I love about George Crumb is how inventive he is. He takes ordinary things and converts them into percussion instruments,” she said. She showed as an exam-
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ple one big silver container, probably from a washed tub, that was used to produce certain sounds for the performance. “The sound that influences my music a lot is the sound of nature,” Crumb said, who infused many sounds like those of sea or wind into his music. Orchestra 2001, founded in 1988, is in its 24th concert season and the founder Freeman hopes to continually bring more new and contemporary music to Philadelphia. “I started it because I thought there was a great need in the Philadelphia area for audiences to hear new music. There are many wonderful composers in the world and a lot of them live in and around Philadelphia,” Freeman said. “I think [the] Philadelphia Orchestra ensemble focuses on 19th century music primarily, not 20th century music, partly because it’s expensive to rehearse. It takes a lot more rehearsals.” Bill Gatti, the administrative director of Orchestra 2001, explained the relationship between the College and the orchestra. Many concerts of the Orchestra 2001 are presented at the College and those programs that are performed here are all free to the public in return for the generous support of the college. “It’s a very nice thing the college does for organizations like ours. We get to use Lang Concert Hall for rehearsals; we get to use a whole bunch of wonderful incredible percussion instruments,” Gatti said. “Next year is our 25th anniversary. We want to reach wider audiences, not just in this country, but abroad. We are planning tours next year to Cuba, as well as to West Virginia and the Library of Congress,” Freeman said. Orchestra 2001 is constantly making efforts to bring new American music to new audiences. Even the orchestra’s name suggests a modernity, as their website says, one that “marks the beginning of the 21st century and points in a new way to the future of the music of our time.”
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Navigating relationships with the good old Kanye West Swatties, you are witnessing the dawn of a new day, a new era. A day that has been thought about and gone over for the past six … days. This is the launch of the relationship column at The Phoenix. The column will be known as “Behind My Shades” because relationships are subjective to the individual, and no one can give anyone blanket relationship advice. Simply because each relationBehind My Shades ship is so different, that is not what this column is here to offer. Let me proceed to introduce myself: I am fun, I like long walks on the beach, I go to Swat, blah, blah, blah, but biggest of all … wait for it ... I’m a guy. I am writing to get some misconceptions out of girls’ heads of the male species here at Swat but most importantly in the larger world. I will be tackling a lot of different topics over this semester, but don’t make any mistakes — I’m not Dr. Phil or a dating advice website. I am a real person who has gone through the best and worst of relationships. I’ve been wrong and I’ve had others do me wrong, but the most important thing I’ve come to understand is that you learn something with every relationship.
In this article, I am going to talk about something that I learned from my last relationship and from one of the unlikeliest of sources — Kanye West. Let me frame my last relationship; it was one of those relationships in which the girl was really into it. She was truly invested in the relationship. Now don’t get me wrong: I was too, but where she was in it 100 percent I was pushing more towards 45 percent and was in it for the wrong reasons. This went on for about a year and
Relationships aren’t as complicated as we make them; if we could just see the good in the other person just as they see in us, things would be fine. a half. There were good moments, but there were a lot of bad ones as well, mostly caused by my actions. I can admit that I didn’t treat her in the best way; I should have been better, but I wasn’t and both guys and girls are guilty of this. My reasoning for this — regardless to how bad this may sound — is that I knew that she wouldn’t leave because of how invested she was in our relationship. This past summer she broke it off and it was only then I realized how bad I was to her and how much she truly meant to me. I missed her.
My thoughts were all over the place; she no longer texted me “Good Morning :-)” — those late night conversations were gone, not to mention her daily tweets of how glad she was to have me in her life. Through the period of the initial breakup, I spent a lot of time listening to the over ten thousand songs in my iTunes. But one song stuck with me and gave me a mirror of how I felt: “Runaway.” If you haven’t heard this song by the critically acclaimed Kanye West, go check it out. In the song, Mr. West talks about his relationship with a woman whom he does wrong and he acknowledges his flaws and even praises them. Before telling the girl to run away because he can’t be there for her emotionally or intimately, he puts the blame on himself for how their relationship turned out. Don’t be mistaken, I didn’t cheat nor am I on the level of Kanye but the song mirrored my situation and it showed me the error of my ways. It is painful knowing you drove someone away that you genuinely love so much it hurts. The thing that strikes me even now is that I can still see her leaving, and knowing that I was the cause of this still burns, but I’m a better person because of it. Guys will be guys, sure, and girls will be girls, but truly we all have feelings, some are just better at holding them in. Relationships aren’t as complicated as we make them; if we would just see the good in the other person just as they see in us, things would be fine. But, at times that is hard. The thing is: when it isn’t, you know you have something special, so hold on tight. Until next time, take care.
Rehak explores nostalgia, media and the role of the fan
By amelia dornbush adornb1@swarthmore.edu On Thursday, Jan. 26, Professor Bob Rehak of film and media studies delivered a lecture as a part of Swarthmore’s Faculty Lecture Series. Following his lecture, Rehak then took questions from the audience. This was the first talk of the spring semester in the series, with future events featuring speakers from the departments of sociology and anthropology, psychology, art and educational studies. Rehak’s talk, titled “Materializing Monsters: Fan Objects and the Fantastic,” discussed the role that models and garage kits based off of media phenomenons have. “My talk looks at the phenomenon of monster models and garage kits in the United States, exploring how these scaled-down versions of fantasy figures reflect a larger history of objects based on fantastic media,” Rehak said in an e-mail. In his lecture, Rehak put forth the argument that “unreal” media make themselves real through the use of materials, such as action figures, collectible statues, prop replicas and wargaming figurines. Discussing how models are able to personalize mass objects, Rehak claimed that models are “objects that merge the mass and the personal.” However, the lecture also spoke of the more sinister components of the culture that often accompanies models. For instance, in asserting that “boy culture comes perilously close to rape culture,” Rehak displayed an advertisement for an Aurora model, known as “The Victim,” which featured a scared woman running away from a monster. Peter Haury ’13, a double major in film and media studies and economics, found the lecture to be enjoyable to listen to, even though he only came at the end. Haury, who was previously a student of Rehak’s, said in an email that he was “excited about [the lecture] because
Bob is a professor of mine and fascinating to listen to.” Haury says that an additional reason he went to the lecture was that he is interested by Rehak’s “approaches to discussing popular culture and fandoms.” Another student in attendance, Tayarisha Poe ’12, who is a special major in visual ethnography, was also interested in the lecture as a result of having had Rehak as a professor. “I’ve been in several classes and many conversations with Professor Rehak and am continuously astounded by the depth of his cinematic knowledge, so when I learned of his lecture, I knew I had to attend,” Poe said in an e-mail. While Poe was only able to make half of the lecture, she said that attending “changed the way I think of the generational nature of well-known cinematic moments.” In an email, Rehak said that he first became interested in models as a result of his childhood experience with them from the ages of eight to thirteen. “As a child, I built models constantly — almost all of them monsters or sciencefiction kits like the Enterprise from Star Trek or the droids from Star Wars.” Rehak plans to continue his research in the area. He said that his lecture was the “cornerstone” of his next book, which will discuss “how contemporary fantastic media generate and rely on objects at different points along their lifespan, from making movies, television, and videogames.” The book will also talk about the ways in which fans interact with these models. Rehak said that he enjoyed being able to deliver a lecture at Swarthmore. While he joked that the best part of delivering his lecture was “getting to the end,” he added that, “More seriously, the chance to share my work with interested colleagues and students is a rare and delightful thing.” Rehak said that he was “pleased” by the number of people who came to attend the lecture and
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Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix
Assistant Professor of Film & Media Studies Bob Rehak gave a lecture titled “Materializing Monsters: Fan Objects and the Fantastic” last Thursday in Scheuer Room.
“pleasantly challenged by the questions the audience asked.” Rehak also discussed the differences between presenting at Swarthmore and elsewhere. “Swarthmore is a friendly and supportive community, which is not something you find everywhere. So in one sense, speaking in public is less stressful, because you’re not worried that people are gunning for you. At the same time, you need to put your best work forward, so you really have to bring your ‘A’ game — it’s pressure, but not unpleasant.” Should students be interested in learning more, Rehak suggested that they take courses in the film and media studies program. Additionally, Rehak said that Maya Nadkarni’s course, “Anthropology of Mass Media” in the sociology and anthropology department and Tim Burke’s course, “History of Play
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and Leisure” in the history department, could also give students a greater understanding of the subject. Students in the Art History Majors Workshop discussed Rehak’s ideas Wednesday in class. “There is currently a debate amongst art historians about what qualifies as art,” said Declan White, an art history student. “In one hundred years time will figurines be deemed by art historians as art, nostalgic objects or just another item that must be included in the expanding academic field that is visual culture? I found it all very interesting that something as ordinary as a monster figurine could have implications for both visual culture and a current debate amongst art historians.” The next lecture in the Faculty Lecture Series will be delivered by Farha Ghannam, an associate professor of anthropology, on Thursday, Feb. 9. THE PHOENIX
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How to read: rethinking how to have fun with novels
Lanie Schlessinger Bibliobabble
Reading was once a valued pastime. If one was educated, he or she was expected to read. But reading was rapidly replaced by lazier forms of entertainment, and is now largely seen as a boring activity at best, and a painful academic chore at worst. But reading itself is not the issue: it’s the way we were taught to read that is to blame. In the coming weeks, I will review critically acclaimed novels and discuss the ideas that they explore. But to begin, let’s discuss how to read novels.
Focus Setting Everyone has a different reading style. Find a comfortable spot where you can still be alert, like sitting up in a comfy chair. You’re not fooling anyone (yourself included) by pretending that lying on your back holding a book above your face will allow you to last longer than a few pages. Speed Every reader has a natural speed. Whatever that pace is, it is controllable. I am naturally a rapid reader, but there are books that demand a slower pace. So while I might read something relatively straightforward, like Jonathan Franzen’s “Freedom”, at top speed, a novel richer with prose than plot, such as “Cold Mountain” by Charles Frazier, requires that I slow down. Your mind naturally gauges where your speed should be; it should not always be constant. If you can’t remember what happened in a chapter five minutes after you read it, or find yourself constantly rereading sentences, slow down. If you are so bored that you would rather be cleaning your grandma’s attic, speed up. Get Sucked In Set aside a long chunk of time to read. Every time you pick up a book, you have to orient yourself, which takes a few pages. Reading is an escape from reality. The
physical world has to be temporarily suspended to make the text accessible. The reader has to allow himself to be sucked into the text and trust that the knowledge gained from the book will follow him back to real life, when it’s time to return. If a reader is aware of the page number or the clock, pleasure is lost. Confusion Allusions Look them up. The 15 seconds it will take you to load Google using SwatNet plus the 30 seconds it will take you to pull up the Wikipedia page and read the first three sentences of the article combine to a measly 45-second task that will drastically improve your reading experience. Allusions transform a novel from two-dimensional to three-dimensional. The author is making a point by referring specifically to Van Gogh rather than a general artist. If you don’t know who Van Gogh is, you will miss the point. “Big” Words Look them up. It takes 30 seconds. This is a form of confusion that is easily resolved. Why force yourself to endure unnecessary confusion? Strange Format This form of confusion is slightly less easily resolved, but you have to give great authors like Faulkner a chance anyway. Don’t reject masterpieces because the layout is bizarre or because the font changes every paragraph. Insist on figuring out why the author is playing on the page that way. If your insight fails you, try another Google search! Such an obvious literary technique is bound to catch others’ attention as well, and a few have undoubtedly felt compelled to blog about it. Characters and Plot This is the confusion that a good reader cherishes. Characters and plot lines are supposed to be complex. If the reader naturally and instantly understands these, there is no intrigue. The allure of the novel is diminished or even demolished if it is too simple. To be clear, the idea is not to torture the reader with dramatically complex and altogether incoherent characters and plot twists; they should flow and gradually reveal themselves to the reader. But the heart of thought lies in contradictions — in two things that seem mutually exclusive becoming mutually dependent. Reading is often about learning to
accept “both” as a genuine answer. Rather than being frustrated with confusing characters and plot lines, a reader should cherish them. Analysis Annotating Annotate. Don’t color-code different literary devices or circle every character’s name. Do only what feels natural. I only annotate to write down ideas that I find intriguing. Or if I notice great repetition, I might note that, but I am not searching for it while I’m reading. I annotate what I happen to notice. Thinking While you read, you are thinking. But you’re unlikely to ever really understand a book if you don’t actively think about everything you’re reading. Dedicate two to five minutes to thinking about what you just read every time you put a book down. Discussing There’s a reason people join book clubs. They aren’t only for PTA moms. Discuss what you read, even with people who didn’t read the book. Rereading I don’t think you ever really understand a book without reading it twice. That is not to say that you can’t take a wealth of insight from a single reading, but merely that you don’t genuinely understand a book until you read it again. Reading Taste and Level Read what you like and read at your level. Reading is a skill, and the more you practice, the better you get. Your level will get higher, but there is a world of difference between challenging yourself and torturing yourself. The Secret to Enjoying Reading The real secret to enjoying reading is to read for the story. The more you read, the more you learn to naturally recognize important styles and techniques, so don’t waste time searching for them. Avid fiction readers have, at their hearts, a deep love for stories. Accept that reading fiction is about the stories, just like watching a movie, and reading will become a pleasant experience rather than an academic chore. Next Week: “Heart of Darkness,” Joseph Conrad Lanie Schlessinger is a first-year. You can reach her at eschles1@swarthmore.edu.
Picking beer is like picking books: dry, dense or chewy
Brad Lenox Brew’s Clues
Browsing the beer aisle of your local neighborhood store is like strolling through the library. The shelves from floor to ceiling are filled with names and images — some well known, some familiar and oth-
ers entirely alien. When you or a friend says one evening, “What kind of beer should we buy?” all of these choices in front of your eyes can seem like a nuisance. Because all of us love our habits, especially when it comes to food, the question is usually answered with a “go-to” beer — something you know well and have enjoyed before. However, even the best of beer-buddies can tire on your palate after a while and wanderlust will eventually take over. If you want to avoid spending $20 on something that goes down the drain, choose your beer the way you choose books. At the library or bookstore we all find something new by starting with what we already know: a series, author or favorite genre. Organized around a loose but distinct collection of conventions and expectations, genres give you an idea of what a book will be like before you open the cover. Beer styles, like pale ale, classify beer in a similar manner — two beers of one style
will taste similar but not exactly the same. Based out of Chicago, the BJCP — or Beer Judge Certification Program — is the national organization that regulates and organizes all beer tasting competitions. In a competition setting, determining who wins and loses based on subjective “taste,” literally and figuratively, makes fair beer festivals difficult to run. In order to solve this, the BJCP has codified “beer style” into over 100 distinct and materially defined categories. For example, “American Pale Ales” must fall within a certain range of alcohol by volume (ABV), color, bitterness and other metrics in order to be classified as such. Though choosing new beers by brewery name is a good plan itself, the standardization of styles makes it much easier to know before the bottle is opened whether you will like what’s in it. While you might really enjoy Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, most brewers usually brew only one beer in any given style, so a Sierra Nevada Torpedo of Bigfoot might make you gag. However, Troegs Pale Ale or Anchor Liberty Ale might have just the right balance of bright hoppiness and crisp flavor that your favorite regular beer has. Styles, in addition to conveying different flavor profiles and ingredient choices, also reflect the unique historical and social origins of national brewing traditions. Different styles have been popular in different countries at different points in history, but the current stage of brewing has seen a few styles come to dominate the international market. Pilsner Pilsner, arguably the most popular and economically successful beer style in his-
tory, originally began as the local style of brewers from the city of Pilsen, in Bohemia, Czech Republic. A type of lager, the pilsner taste developed its unique character from the unusually soft water of the city’s river and the Saaz hop variety native to the Bohemian valley. Pilsners are light straw to golden color and crystal clear, with a spicy hop bitterness and floral aroma. Famous for its smooth and crisp finish, as well as its crystal appearance, pilsner went from a regional tradition to an international juggernaut with the help of American brewing giants like Anheuser-Busch, Pabst, Miller and Coors, whose flagship products all fall under the pilsner umbrella. Those looking for local examples of this classic style should try look for Victory Prima Pils, Troegs Sunshine Pils or Sam Adams Noble Pils. Porter Porter, as mentioned in my previous column, in contrast to the monolithic pilsner, is a style that was almost not seen on shelves or on draft until the last few decades of the 20th century. A British style by origin, porter take its name not from a geographic location but from its target audience — literal porters. Originally very popular with working-class men, the dark color and opacity of the beer — in contrast to things like pilsner — once masked impurities in brewing techniques. Porter’s popularity has oscillated since Industrial England, becoming known as a “lady’s beer” for its sweetness compared to pale ale (or “bitter”) for a period. With its signature roasted malt, American brewers have embraced porter’s coffee-like and chocolate notes by using indigenous hop va-
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rieties to create some flavorful but balanced examples of the style. Some of the best porters available on Pennsylvania shelves are Founders Porter, Anchor Porter and Stone Smoked Porter. IPA This year at the GABF or Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado, there were more entries into the category of IPA, or India Pale Ale, than any other. Sales figures and word of mouth suggest that IPAs are very popular among consumers and these beers often represent a large portion of any brewers total yearly sales. Like porter, IPAs come out of a very specific national and historical context. During the mid 19th century, British brewers — hoping to supply the market of native Britons living abroad in India — began brewing beer designed specifically for export. In order to preserve the beer over the long and hot journey, greater amounts of hops than normal British pale ales or “bitters” were used in the boil. Outside of England, American companies, especially on the West Coast, have taken the style in a direction that emphasizes hop flavors. Using varieties like Citra, Cascade and Columbus, citrus, pine and herbal notes usually take the driver’s seat with malty sweetness staying in back. With almost too many choices on shelves, narrowing it down to three is hard. Staying local, Victory Hop Devil and Dogfish Head 60 min are stellar, but for my money Bear Republic Raver 5 IPA might be the best around. Brad is a junior. You can reach him at blenox1@swarthmore.edu
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DORM DIVE by Sera Jeong sjeong1@swarthmore.edu
At Home with Solitude in Kyle
Photos by Cristina Matamoros
Top to bottom: Sequira’s wall of postcards and pictures; a motivational poster signed by Sequira’s cousin; Ma and Sequira relax amidst their creature comforts.
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Kyle, the smallest dorm at somewhat incomplete experience Swarthmore College, has just eight of dorm life. According to Sequira occupants, all of whom are female. “Sometimes [living in Kyle] is loneNestled next to the Lang Center for ly. I miss dorm life.” While Kyle’s Civic and Social Responsibility, it RA, Dina Sharhan, who lives in maintains a quiet presence on cam- Woolman, makes an effort to expus. Sophomores Caitlin Sequira tend Woolman’s dorm life to Kyle and Jillian Ma occupy a double on residents, this does not completely the first floor, a room they acquired replace dorm life for Ma and Sethrough the blocking process. quira. “Since we don’t live in the As rising sophomores, their lim- building, there is a disconnect,” Seited housing options lead the stu- quira said. An aspect of a dormitodents to seek Kyle as an alternative ry she misses is the ability to walk to Willets, where Ma and Sequira into various hall mates’ rooms and roomed together their freshman socialize. As a result, they frequent year. “We decided on Kyle because other, more typical dorms such as it would be a change in atmo- PPR or Willets where many of their sphere,” Ma said. Ma, a potential sophomore friends reside to socialneuroscience and engineering ma- ize. jor, found the proximity to Science The girls do not mind the abCenter, where most of her classes sence of males in their residential are held especially appealing. life. “When you see a guy in here Aside from the female wing of it’s weird, but other than that, it’s Parrish and the third floor of Dana, not that unusual,” Ma said. As for Kyle stands as the lone all-female visitors, they describe a feeling of dorm. According to Myrt Westphal, intrusion upon seeing them in the associate dean for student life, Kyle house. According to Ma, “It feels became like somea female o n e ’ s house afin your Judging from its ter the house and 2nd floor you don’t exterior, [Kyle], painted of Parknow what rish was they’re dowhite with eggshell blue converted ing here.” window frames, could from allB u t f e m a l e there are easily be mistaken for housing many asa residential house. to adminpects to istrative Kyle the offices. As girls enfor its diminutive tenancy, “it was joy, such as access to a private supposed to hold 13 students, five bathroom. With only eight people on the top floor but [Swarthmore] sharing a fully equipped kitchen, Borough restrictions said we need- it allows Ma to occasionally bake ed to build a $250,000 enclosed fire- cookies. Their double also provides proof staircase as a second means the students ample room, and it of egress so it only houses eight was big enough to host Sequira’s students,” Westphal said. surprise birthday party, which Kyle is unusual as it is isolated took place earlier this semester. from other dormitories and located Sequira has decorated the wall in a part of the college that has lit- adjacent to her bed with personal tle pedestrian traffic. Judging from memorabilia such as birthday its exterior, the property, painted cards and thank you notes she has white with eggshell blue window collected over the years. To Seframes, could easily be mistaken quira, a potential psychology mafor a residential house. Structur- jor and Asian studies minor, these ally, the property has all the same personal touches are important. features as a typical house like a “It just shows people care about living room, kitchen and a sprin- me and whenever I read them on kling of rooms. However, standard the side [of my wall] it makes me issue dormitory furniture lends happy.” A birthday card drawn by Kyle a college dorm atmosphere her cousin, a graduate from School rather than a homely ambiance. of Visual Arts in New York City Sequira and Ma live in a spa- stands out, as does a portrait of cious double that was once a ga- her Chinese grandmother, which rage. Whilst most evidence of the hangs above her bed. conversion is difficult to spot, Ma Ma takes a different approach to qualified that “sometimes it gets decorating by filling her walls with pretty cold.” The isolation and qui- her collection of large Lady Gaga et make the dormitory conducive to posters, including some from Lady sleeping and, according to Sequira, Gaga’s breakthrough “Just Dance” “intense studying.” Otherwise they days. Ma diversified her poster spend most of their time elsewhere. display by including ones of Nick Kyle, which cannot be neatly Jonas and Albert Einstein. “I hang described as either an off-campus them because they take up space house or on-campus dormitory, and I like attractive people decorathas left Ma and Sequira with a ing my walls,” Ma said. THE PHOENIX
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Spoken word artist Joshua Bennett performs today By CAMILA RYDER cryder1@swarthmore.edu
When we interact with poetry, in a classroom, in a book or even scribbled on the bathroom stall door, we often only read the words. Too often we forget to speak the poem and to hear the stresses, the breaths and the rhythm. For spoken word artists, like Joshua Bennett, reading their poetry aloud injects a new life into the words that one might never have seen from simply looking at them. The words jump off the page when they merge with the speaker’s voice, his physical movements and the rhythm, speed and tone to create spoken word. When listening to spoken word artists like Joshua Bennett or Swarthmore’s own Our Art Spoken In Soul (O.A.S.I.S.) read poetry, you’ll recognize how powerful the performance is to their poetry. Both Bennett and O.A.S.I.S. will be performing today in honor of Black History Month in LPAC’s Pearson-Hall theatre at 8 p.m. If you’ve never heard of Joshua Bennett, search for a video of his performances on YouTube and you’ll discover what it is about Bennett’s voice and his physicality that have generated such acclaim and buzz. Bennett graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010. Not only did he graduate with Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude, Bennett has performed his poetry at the White House in 2009 and at the NAACP Image Awards, was featured on HBO’s “Brave New Voices,” was the first African-American to receive the United Kingdom’s Marshall Scholarship, and he recently published his first book of poetry titled “Jesus Riding Shotgun.” Not bad for a 23 year old guy from Yonkers, NY. Bennett has been writing stories and poetry from a very young age. “I just used to write stories, just really elaborate plagiarizations of Power Rangers,” he joked. In his sixth grade English class, though, they were required to write a poetic response to “Aida.” “That’s the first time I remember people saying my poetry was good … and then when I was 17 [that] was the first time I wrote a spoken word poem ... after a Hurricane Katrina relief benefit,” Bennett said. For Bennett, he feels there is a definite difference between spoken word and poetry read on a page because of the performer themselves. “My favorite spoken word poems are always narrative in nature, not necessarily linear narrative, [but] there’s always a sort of overarching crux of the piece that’s deeply personal that I appreciate,” he said. He also finds that spoken word has a different editing process, even how line breaks work are different. His poetry encompasses many different themes. “I write a lot about my family, my environment and faith,” Bennett said. In many of his pieces, Bennett explores his “relationship with God and [his] understanding of the Judeo-Christian tradition.” He also considers himself to be a philosophical and theological writer. “I try to think deeply about what our everyday human interactions mean for the way we live, the way the world works and how I understand myself in relation to the supernatural. I guess I’ve always tried to write in a way that … operates on a bunch of different levels. This universality of Bennett’s poetry has inspired many other poets, spoken word artists or anyone who has listened to him speak. Sean Bryant ’13, a member of O.A.S.I.S., attended high school in New York with Bennett. Bennett was Bryant’s mentor in the school’s Life Skills program, where seniors were matched with freshman. “Josh is the one who got me into spoken word,” Bryant said. “I always wrote poetry — it’s always been something that I’ve always done — but I never really started performing and doing spoken word until my freshman year of high school and then from freshman year and on ... I kept writing.” Spoken word poetry, for Bryant, does something even more amazing than poetry does on a page. “It’s your voice, it’s how you say certain words, it’s the actions that go with them, it’s the emotion that’s behind them [and] it’s the story behind them,” Bryant said. During his time at UPenn, Bennett was a student and intern of Swarthmore’s Dean Karlene Burrell-McRae’s, who had the opportunity to hear him “drop his lines on many occassions.” Burrell-McRae recalled how many times Bennett would stop by her office, sometimes when she was having a down day. “I’d just say ‘I just need you to perform, do something for me,’ and he would … he would do his thing and it would make my day and all would be well in the world. He has a real gift,” she said. For Burrell-McRae, Bennett’s poetry did more than just make her day. “[His poetry] sort of made all my sens-
Courtesy of http://tiny.cc/f1mn8 and http://tiny.cc/k2xyq
Joshua Bennett’s poems have garnered much acclaim over the past few years, landing him a spot on HBO’s “Brave New Voices,” as well as a performance for President Obama and the First Lady in 2009. es come alive. He allowed me to remember the humanity of others and the role that I can play in … making my own life better and the lives of other people better,” she said. Bryant loved one of Bennett’s performances of “Tamara’s Opus,” a poem that addresses his deaf sister. “[‘Tamara’s Opus’] really just touched me,” Bryant said. “It’s one of those poems that not everything is just about the words all the time. Sometimes poetry can get lost in all the metaphors and similars and so many other things, but this one had [those aspects], but it had something so much more real and just raw emotion that I really, really loved.” Not only is today’s performance a chance for many students to hear Bennett’s and O.A.S.I.S. members’ poetry, it’s also the kick-off event in celebration of Black History Month. “I’m a black youth,” he said. “I grew up in a Puerto Rican, Dominican and Cuban neighborhood and I grew up in a black church, but I always went to [predominantly] white schools.” Though he noted that there are aspects of the African-American literary tradition that have resonated with him, this large array of different cultures and how he fit into each was “something that I struggled with.” “Always being somebody that was black, but sounded ‘white;’ being black in a white environment; being black in a Latino environment … I think I always felt this sort of split,” he said. Bennett believes that black culture is around all of us and it has become even more apparent in both American culture and abroad. “I think we’re all sort of participating in [black culture] and being affected by it.” McRae finds that Bennett often speaks to her own life in his poems. “He often talked about my experience of self-identifying as someone who’s of African descent, someone who’s a black woman … some of the pieces he does [are] about celebrating who we are,” she said. Bennett’s poetry speaks to black culture in a way that encourages everyone to participate with it, which is something McRae hoped that the entire campus could share in. “We want to be real inclusive of the entire Swarthmore community,” she said about today’s event and also for Black History Month as a whole. One of her goals for the month’s events were to “get the entire campus to recognize that this, too, is a part of the Swarthmore identity and anyone can participate or engage … [and recognize] that when one thinks about diversity it’s about how to be
THE PHOENIX
February 2, 2012
inclusive of anyone who wants to be included.” Bennett hopes his poetry strikes a chord with those at the performance today. “I just hope that the story resonates with them. I hope that people walk away feeling like their story is important, like their individual story is worth telling,” he said. He also hopes that “people’s lives are not the same when they leave.” “I know that seems like a really heavy expectation [of] a performer, but I really do think the best performances I’ve ever seen, I didn’t think the same when I left the room.” Today’s performance will feature O.A.S.I.S. artists before Bennett takes to the stage, such as Bryant, Alaina Brown ’13, Javier Perez ’13, Ana Rosado ’12, Noel Quiñones ’15 and many more. The event will begin at 8 p.m. and is in the Pearson-Hall Theatre in the Lang Performing Arts Center.
cartoon by renu nadkarni
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A$AP Rocky’s album asks the question: cash or more cash? If you haven’t heard “LIVELOVEA$AP” by the controversial Harlem rapper, A$AP Rocky, then be sure to pay close attention. Over the past year, the gold-toothed 23 year old has made a serious splash in the world of rap and hip-hop. The videos for his first two singles, “Peso” and “Purple Swag,” earned him an Dylan Jensen opening spot on Drake’s Music Now! tour after receiving several million hits on YouTube, and positioned him (and his A$AP crew) at the center of rap’s spotlight. Born in 1988, Rakim Mayers was named after the rapper, Rakim, of the revolutionary Eric B. & Rakim duo. After witnessing his father’s arrest at the age of 12, and his brother’s death a year later, A$AP quickly took up rapping as an escape from the danger and violence of the streets. With his influences beginning in his home of Harlem with rap group The Diplomats, A$AP began experimenting with Houston codeine music, dark Memphis rap and more harmonic rap à la Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. After being in and out of various shelters around Manhattan, A$AP and his mother ultimately settled in Elmwood Park, New Jersey. Over the next couple of years, however, ASAP wouldn’t do much in the hiphop world, aside from the obscure mixtape guest spot for artists like Oakland’s Main Attrakionz. In fact, most New Yorkers largely criticized A$AP’s early releases for their parody-like resemblance to Houston’s syrupy, down-tempo Screw music and refused to claim him as their own. Now to me, this does not sound like the story of a major label star. So how did a rapper with only a handful of guest appearances earn a $3,000,000 major label record deal in less than a year? Upon the release of his first video for the Houston anthem, “Purple Swag,” A$AP received much atten-
tion, but it wasn’t necessarily for the music itself. The in A$AP’s songs doesn’t extend much deeper than a song’s video featured a Caucasian girl wearing gold kiddie pool. Common references on the album include fronts mouthing the “N” word. As word of A$AP’s purple drank, dice games, weed, Harlem, Berettas and, “Purple Swag” video spread virally, his popularity of course, money. In spite of this fact, ASAP maintains soared. Outside of New York and New Jersey people an acceptable flow throughout the album. He’s cerbegan to appreciate the unique influences and con- tainly no Mase or T.I., but he manages to distinguish struction of ASAP’s muhimself from the litany of sic. “Purple Swag’s” exnew of school rappers by perimental approach to the adopting a Midwestern slow-mo Houston sound slang coupled with a Wiz came off more as a tribute Khalifa haze. His variety of anthem than a parody or influences on the album — imitation. It’s no surprise Memphis rap, Screw music, then that ASAP Rocky’s sincountry rap — reveal nothgle for “LIVELOVEA$AP,” ing short of excellent taste, “Peso,” was an instant and tracks such as “Bass” Youtube sensation. Adoptand Houston Old Head” exing a different approach hibit this nicely. from “Purple Swag,” However, these are not “Peso” employs Rick Rossthe reasons the album esque beats, an MIA hook shows potential. Rather, and production from one the impressive aspect of the of his partners, A$AP Ty album is the production, Beats. Quickly gaining specifically the tracks proover 4,000,000 views, “Peso” duced by the recent Internet drew the attention of the sensation, Clams Casino, rapper, Drake, who curand Rocky’s partner, A$AP rently has A$AP opening Ty Beats. The beats laid Courtesy of wineandbowties.com for him on his world tour. down by each of these proWhen a performer as large New York native rapper A$AP recently released ducers reflect an entirely as Drake believes in some- “LIVELOVEA$AP,” his first official mixtape, in October. unique, much more experione’s talents, I suppose it mental tangent from mainmakes sense for a record stream hip-hop. The songs label to take a risk on them. After all, great risks can on “LIVELOVEA$AP” triumph from the warmth, texlead to great gains. But was A$AP Rocky really worth ture and atmosphere derived directly from the beats, $3,000,000? which could undoubtedly stand on their own. So was “LIVELOVEA$AP” was released in late October “LIVELOVEA$AP” worth the $3,000,000 contract? No. to largely positive reviews from the critics. Pitchfork Not in the short term that is. But the mixtape does reawarded the mixtape a “Best New Music” nod and on- veal a potential direction for rap music to explore and, line music reviewer, Stereogum, placed it in the top 50 more importantly, an artist with the potential to go releases of 2011. And, for the most part, these reviews there. seem completely accurate. If you haven’t listened to Dylan Jensen is a junior. You can reach him at the album, you’ll quickly notice that the lyrical depth pjensen1@swarthmore.edu.
New campus clubs offer chances to read and play
by allison shultes ashulte1@swarthmore.edu Bored? Tired of lounging around campus with nothing to do? Looking for something to fill up your gigantic blocks of free time? Check out these developing Swarthmore clubs to beat back that weekday boredom.
Shogi Club The Swarthmore College Shogi Club was founded in 2004 by Associate Professor of Philosophy — and 2008 US Shogi Champion — Alan Baker. Although the club’s campus debut is far from recent, the loss of its founder to sabbatical leave has encouraged Adrian Wan ’15, along with other returning club members, to seek new recruits. A variant of chess most popular in Japan, Shogi appeals to players who desire a complexity which is usually lost as chess game progress. “Unlike chess, when you take a piece, it’s retained in hand — that is, you can play the piece and drop it [back on the board],” Wan said. “There’s always the same number of pieces [in play], which is [what makes it] so fun.” Potential members may find the pieces, which are in Japanese characters, to be intimidating. Wan admits the learning curve is rather steep, but that Shogi Club members “are more than willing to teach new players,” since most remember their first introduction to the game
as well. “In an hour you can be pretty day to day interactions and, most recently, her ambitious plans for a blossoming familiar with the pieces,” Wan said. The club, which Professor Baker lists student group. “We’re going to try to watch one on his faculty bio as being “the only movie, read college Shogi one graphic Club outside novel, and one of Japan,” comic book as far as he each month,” knows, really Huang said. just wants to “Our goal is raise awareto meet four ness of the times a month, game. “It’s exso about once tremely fun to a week.” play — I’d love So far, into see it played terest for the in Cornell, club seems [for example]. strong; beIt’s easily actween 15 and cessible,” Wan 20 people said. Courtesy of undercaffeinated.deviantart.com showed up for Intrigued? Stop by Kohl- Shogi Club meets Monday and Tuesday in Kohlberg. the first meeting, and many berg’s secondmore emailed floor rooms on Mondays from 4 to 6 p.m. or Tuesdays declarations of intrigue. “I actually got from 3 to 5 p.m. for an introduction to an email from the Psi Phi Club saying there were a lot of them who were really the game. interested,” said Huang with a laugh. What got Joan into the world of Graphic Novel Club Founded this semester by Joan Huang graphics and comic strips? “I got a car, ’15 and Jonah Schwartz ’15, the Graphic so my parents couldn’t ostracize me for Novel Club’s inception should come as reading comics anymore,” Huang said. no surprise to those that know Joan. A “The serious answer? I really like the comic book junkie with a Daily Gazette way [comic strips and novels] mirror column titled “Graphic Content,” Joan’s the way we see the world — in short interest in the genre manifests itself in strips and pieces, [and how they] com-
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bine visual and textual elements.” Intrigued? Email Joan at jhuang1@ swarthmore.edu. Bridge Club Currently in the in-between stage of transforming from a loose assemblage of Bridge players to a chartered Swattie organization, the Bridge Club is moving into the fringe of legitimate club-dom with a strong track record. Begun by Dana dwellers last year, the group originated with a few strong players who were eager to teach their dorm mates the rules of the game, and has since recruited the occasional passer-by peering into a Kohlberg lecture room during game time. “There are a lot of CS [Computer Science] people, and we’ve had some people come and join who’ve seen us playing in Kohlberg,” Jeremy Rapaport-Stein ’14, the informal president of the loose organization, said. In addition to the handful of new members, the club occasionally enjoys the participation of professors from the Mathematics and Computer Science departments. Rapaport-Stein is responsible for organizing meeting times and maintaining an email list of interested players. He is also presently writing up a charter and application to present to the SBC, which he hopes to complete in the next two weeks. Intrigued? Email Jeremy RapaportStein at jrapapo1@swarthmore.edu. THE PHOENIX
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Swat Basketball vs. John Hopkins
Saturday Feb. 4 Womenʼs 1 - 3 p.m. & Menʼs 3 - 5 p.m. Tarble Pavilion
Saturday, Feb. 3 at 7 - 9 p.m. Shane Lounge
Chinese Lantern Festival
editor’s picks
Kitao Gallery Thursday, Feb. 2 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. & Sunday, Feb. 5 at 3:00-5:00 p.m.
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enlace presents:
By Brad Lenox
THE PHOENIX
Saturday, Feb. 4 10 p.m. to 2 p.m. Olde Club
The Oil Paintings of sunG min ma & sarah diamond February 2, 2012
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Opinions
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Staff Editorial
Collapse of Chester schools: worlds apart, minutes away The collective familiarity of Swarthmore students with Chester is diverse. In other words, it is not shared. Most likely, interactions with or discussions about the city are tangentially related — and limited — to education department placements, community fellowships awarded through the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility, student group initiatives, or, more mundanely, driving directions to the College. So it might come as a surprise to several students, whose extra-curricular activities don’t coincide with the affairs of the city (a city a mere ten minutes away from campus), that the Chester Upland school district is bankrupt. And not just tight for cash or ripe for comprehensive bailout, but nearly flat-out broke. With only $100,000 in its savings account, a $1 million payroll and a projected debt of $20 million by the end of the school year, schools in the district are at risk of shutting down. According to school officials, the financial meltdown was generated by the state’s illegal funneling of the district’s money to charter schools, which, apparently, more students attend. Recently, however, a judge ruled that the state give a $3.2 million advance to help keep the public schools open at least for another few weeks into the month of February. Yet throughout the disintegration of the district, teachers (who are members of the local teachers union) have promised to keep working “as long as they are individually able … even if they are not paid.” But where does that leave students for the rest of the school year? Options range from sending them to private schools, to having them live with relatives and go to other public schools, to altogether dropping out of the school system. Still, each of these alternatives costs money. Whether that is a financial burden on students’ parents or the schools of another district is a reality that could perhaps fuel the insolvency of yet another city’s educational system. Despite the limited recourse Chester students and parents have, Swarthmore students and administrators have at their disposal a range of social, political and economic resources that, when used even sparingly, are profoundly impactful. From volunteer groups like the Chester Youth Court, to student groups like Dare 2 Soar (a tutoring and mentoring program), to the College Access Center (which provides free homework help and SAT/ACT tutoring for Chester students) located in the city itself, the possibilities for drawing attention to and becoming involved in Chester are inexhaustible. What is required on our behalf, then, is a consistent commitment to a worthwhile and critical cause through the several avenues of service available to us. The economic deterioration of Chester nurtures high unemployment, poverty and crime rates. Allowing the one institution of social progress — education — to collapse in a city like this is to provide purchase to those figures. Allowing it to collapse as Swarthmore students is to throw away an opportunity for tangible and meaningful change in our surrounding community — a material initiative of the College and a crucial role of its students. To sign a petition urging Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett to approve emergency funding for the Chester Upland school district go to http://www.change.org/ petitions/governor-of-pennsylvania-pay-teachers-in-chester.
Emma Waitzman The Phoenix
Letter, op-ed and comment policy Letters, opinion pieces and online comments represent the views of their writers and not those of The Phoenix staff or Editorial Board. The Phoenix reserves the right to edit all pieces submitted for print publication for content, length and clarity. The Phoenix also reserves the right to withhold any letters, op-eds or comments from publication. All comments posted online and all op-eds and letters must be signed and should include the writer’s full name. Letters are a minimum of 250 words and may not exceed 500 words. Op-eds are a minimum of 500 words and may not exceed 750. Letters and op-eds must be submitted by 10 p.m. on Monday, and The Phoenix reserves the right to withhold letters and op-eds received after that time from publication.
Courtesy of educationvotes.nea.org
Chester High is just one of the schools in the school district facing insolvency by the end of February due to financial distress. It is only 15 minutes away from Swarthmore College.
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February 2, 2012
attributed to groups, although individual writers may request that their group affiliation be included. While The Phoenix does not accept anonymous submissions, letters and op-eds may be published without the writer’s name in exceptional circumstances and at the sole discretion of the Editorial Board. An editorial represents the opinions of the members of the Opinions Board: Marcus Mello, Camila Ryder and Reem Abdou Please submit letters to: letters@swarthmorephoenix.com or The Phoenix Swarthmore College 500 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081 Please report corrections to: corrections@swarthmorephoenix. com Letters, corrections and news tips may also be submitted online to the paper by clicking “Contact” on the Phoenix website. THE PHOENIX
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What role does race and ethnicity play in the GOP?
Tyler Becker argues that accusations Sam Sussman maintains that the of Republican racism are unwarranted racialization of politics is a GOP strategy The 2008 Romney said illegal aliens would not be g e n e r a l rounded up and deported, but programs e l e c t i o n such as e-Verify, which check the imc a m p a i g n migration status of potential workers b r o u g h t should be put in place. He used the term A m e r i c a “self-deportation” to describe his policy i t s f i r s t position. Romney is not a racist; he just A f r i c a n - has a position harbored by 60-plus perAm e r i c a n cent of Americans who oppose illegal president. immigrants gaining legal status. Former B a r a c k Speaker Gingrich went too far with his O b a m a ’ s radio ad calling Romney “anti-immiTyler Becker e l e c t i o n grant,” just another example of how race will forev- is misused by politicians. The Swarthmore This focus on race is unnecessary in er stand in Conservative the hearts our political system and poisonous to and minds our politics. Republicans and the Tea o f A m e r i - Party are not trying to create policies cans as a moment of progress. Martin that harm minorities. That is a ridicuLuther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have lous claim, and one made to defend the a Dream” speech less than fifty years big government mentality of the Demoago, to put the achievement in perspec- cratic Party. We need to move past these endless tive. Despite President Obama’s election, debates on race, and focus on more race continues to cement itself as a politi- clearly defined issues. If a Republican or cal issue. Obama has made some slip-ups conservative says anything racially-inof his own, including getting involved in sensitive, I will be the first to denounce the Harvard University professor Henry that individual. Taking statements out Louis Gates’s arrest and the administra- of context or obscuring what the speaker tion’s quick dismissal of Shirley Sherrod meant is not acceptable. We cannot just assume that someone is a racist because for an out-of-context sound bite. Obama talked about a “post-racial” of their particular political ideology. While I do not think it is possible America when he was campaigning for president. This is the kind of America I to completely ignore race in the political context (nor want. A color-blind should we), we society where we need to change the neither define each way race is disother as members This focus on race is cussed in the pubof a particular unnecessary in our lic sphere. race not forget the Race and ethheritage shared by political system and nicity are quintesmembers of a race or ethnicity may be poisonous to our politics. sential aspects of the Swarthmore an idealistic goal, experience. We but is an attainable are exposed to one. The issue in our society today is an intense focus people from a variety of different backon race that makes race an issue in the grounds, all here for the same reason: to engage in the intellectual pursuits that wrong situations. Accusations of racism have been define who we are as people. With our lobbed at GOP presidential candidates campus divided about fifty-fifty between throughout this primary season. Former whites and minorities, each person House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) brings his or her own racial and cultural charged Obama with being a “food stamp experience to the table. There are ethnic and cultural groups president,” and his remark was reported by Democrats as racist despite the num- on campus, but friend groups are very ber of people on food stamps rising as diverse and nobody gets as caught up part of the stimulus package, and more in the racial stereotyping spewed by whites than blacks being on food stamps. the media. I often hear jokes on campus Food stamps are not a “black” program. about race, as Swatties are so comfortThe program is meant for the poor of all able with each other on the topic. The races, and it is wrong to equate a small rest of society is not as mature as the government argument with being racist. majority of Swarthmore with regard to Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) en- race because we are all exposed to differdured a great deal of scrutiny leading ent cultures here. Accusations of racism up to the Iowa Caucus about newsletters are thrown around all the time, often for printed under his name that harbored the minutest words or statements taken racist sentiments. It turns out the most completely out of context. I want the rest of society to be like damaging racial statements were likely put into the newsletters without Paul’s Swarthmore when it comes to discusknowledge, and his not deleting the sions about race. I want people to be able statements was a serious oversight er- to celebrate their background, but, in the ror. All this occurred despite Paul’s can- public sphere, see human beings not just didacy attracting diverse crowds and his as members of a particular racial group. commitment to equality as a libertarian- This starts with us ignoring the charges of racism that occur all the time in the leaning Republican. Former Governor Mitt Romney (R- media and in politics, and focusing on MA) has been called racist towards how we want to talk about race. It’s time Hispanics due to his opposition to illegal to start that dialogue. Tyler is a sophomore. You can reach immigration, despite the law supporting his position. Campaigning in Florida, him at tbecker1@swarthmore.edu.
THE PHOENIX
L a s t week, the Republican Presidential Primary reached a new low — w h o would have thunk it? — even before Newt GinSam Sussman grich promised a 51st Sussing out the state on the Substance moon (this, sadly, is not a joke. Google it). In the days before the South Carolina primary, Rick Santorum sloshed into the muddy backwaters of racial politics with this caring commentary: “I don’t want to make black peoples’ lives better by giving them somebody else’s money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money and provide for themselves and their families.” If dear Rick was trying to outdo leading Mittalternative Newt Gingrich, it was a dreadfully weak effort. Newt set a high standard earlier this month when he expanded on his frequently deployed description of Barack Obama as “the food stamp President” with this unsolicited advice: “If the NAACP invites me, I’ll go to their convention and talk about why the AfricanAmerican community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps.” So far, no invitation yet. These are not merely “gotcha” moments. Rather, the use of racially charged language is a forty-five year Republican project that runs from Richard Nixon’s promise of “law and order” to Ronald Reagan’s “welfare queen” to Bush Senior’s shameful (yet successful) attempt to define Michael Dukakis by convicted black murderer Willie Horton’s mug shot. Racially charged language, the ultimate purpose of which is to associate government with excessively generous assistance to poor blacks, has been the prime mechanism by which the GOP has built its case for “small government.” The GOP first pioneered the “Southern strategy” of injecting racial resentment into economic debates in 1968, after years of failing to win economic arguments against liberal Democrats. Over the previous three decades, Democrats had built a middle class society on the pillars of public education, strong support for organized labor and Social Security. FDR’s party was thanked at the polls, winning seven of the nine Presidential elections between 1932 and 1964. Yet by 1968, domestic political news had been dominated for three years by race riots in black urban centers and Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. The Republican strategy was simple: redefine the Democratic Party as an advocate of the urban poor, while branding itself defender of middle class Americans who needed protection from a “big government” intent on redistributing their wealth to the black underclass. Nixon strategist Kevin Phillips termed this strategy “DemocraticNegro mutual identification.” Clever. Because overtly racist language was no longer in vogue after the civil rights movement, Nixon’s task was to speak to white racial resentment without sounding explicitly racist. Republican strategist Lee Atwater explains: “You start in 1954 saying ‘nigger, nigger, nigger.’ By 1968
February 2, 2012
you can’t say nigger anymore — that backfires. So you say stuff like ‘forced busing,’ ‘states’ rights.’” Nixon, too, was less than coy about his double-speak. After filming a commercial that combined his soothing promise of “law and order” with footage of rioting African-Americans, Nixon announced to his staff: “This hits it right on the nose … it’s all about law and order and the damn Negro-Puerto Rican groups out there.” Nixon also used the language of “cities” and “the poor” to associate government spending with African-Americans: “We have been deluged by government programs for the unemployed, the cities, the poor … it is time to quit pouring billions of dollars into programs that have failed.” Never mind that the “War on Poverty” slashed the number of Americans living in poverty by 35%. Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, Ronald Reagan built on this vocabulary as he cobbled together a sustainable conservative coalition. Most infamous is his beloved anecdote of the “welfare queen.” She was “a woman in Chicago,” who abused welfare and food stamps to the tune of $150,000 per year. Lazy, irresponsible and overly sexual, the welfare queen’s exploitation of “hard working, decent tax-paying Americans” (read: white people) epitomized everything wrong with “big government.” There is reasonable evidence that Reagan himself was no overt bigot, yet this language was invaluable to him and his Big Business allies who were intent on tarnishing liberal government programs at all costs. Neither Richard Nixon nor Ronald Reagan has been a force in American politics for nearly a quarter-century, but the language of racial resentment with which they argued against liberal governance is still with us. When Republicans speak of “big government,” “the entitlement society,” being “tough on crime” and representing “hard working, decent, tax-paying Americans,” it is essential to understand that this vocabulary developed to manipulate racial resentment into blanket condemnations of government itself. It is this language with which Republicans have diverted Americans’ attention from the vital role of public health, education, employment and regulation; this language with which Republicans have justified gargantuan tax cuts to the rich while eroding public services to the middle class and poor; this language with which Republicans have repeatedly succeeded in securing the support of working class white voters whose economic interests are best served by liberal governance. In classic tragic form, it has been these voters who have been most hurt by the hollowing out of manufacturing, erosion of public services and gross inequality wrought by the death of the liberal consensus. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party has failed to redirect the anger of a shrinking middle class toward those who have truly “lived off government” — the financial sector, Big Oil, military contractors and the pharmaceutical industry, who have for decades been the recipients of yearly government subsidies, no-bid contracts and ad-hoc bailouts. As the 2012 Presidential election nears, the winning strategy for Democrats is to combat the inevitable racialization of activist government with a redirection of public outrage toward these true “welfare queens.” Sam is a junior. You can reach him at ssussma1@swarthmore.edu.
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Opinions
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The coming age of Pax Pacifica: chances and challenges
H i s tory has witnessed many eras of peace underpinned by a single nation possessing dominant economic and military power. For exShiran Shen ample, Pax Romana of The Swarthmore the Roman Globalist Empire, Pax Mongolica of the Mongol Empire, Pax Britannica of the British Empire and Pax Americana of the United States. However, the “End of History” in Western liberal democracy envisioned by political scientist Francis Fukuyama may not really be the end of history. In recent years, there has been an emerging consensus on the coming age of Pax Pacifica in recognition of the peaceful — but not too peaceful — development of China in terms of both wealth and power. Despite China’s growing clout in the region, it is crucial to recognize that the U.S. still has an indispensable leadership role to play in mediating disputes and maintaining peace in the Asia-Pacific. The US should seize such opportunities to reinforce its role in the region. In the meantime, a smart U.S. strategy cannot succeed without effectively managing potential fault lines of conflict concerning: 1) Taiwan, 2) the U.S.-Japan Security Alliance, and 3) disputable islands claimed by multiple parties that involve China. During a recent speech at the Asia Soci-
ety in New York, Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd called for a new international framework, or “Pax Pacifica.” Rudd has been a China expert since his undergraduate years at the Australian National University, where he majored in Chinese language and history. Acknowledging the crucial role that China plays in international trade and security, Rudd argued that forging the framework of Pax Pacifica would help Asia embrace the rise of China amid ongoing differences and rivalries between Beijing and Washington. Failure to do so, Rudd warned, would have “profound consequences for the world at large.” Rudd’s call to action came at a time when China’s rise is making its neighbors — especially those that have territorial disputes with China or with whom China has historically unresolved grief — skeptical of the prospects of regional peace. Japan’s 2011 Defense White Paper expressed grave concern over, and dim predictions about, China’s military buildup. Since the end of last year, there has been a series of strategic moves aimed at China, including the basing of thousands of U.S. Marines in northern Australia and the stationing of Navy warships in Singapore. A talk between the Philippines and Washington is currently underway about expanding U.S. military presence in the island nation in preparation for potential Chinese provocative behaviors in the region. Despite popular claim that the U.S.’s leadership role in the Asia-Pacific is waning, the call for Pax Pacifica presents many opportunities for the U.S. to reinforce its preeminence. It is increasingly clear that China’s policies are for Chinese interests, not a stable world order. The turning of Asia-Pacific governments to the U.S. for military assistance is enough to demonstrate the indispensable role of the U.S. in mediating disputes and maintaining peace
in the region. Even the hostile government of North Korea — after a cold, hard calculation of history and the realities of geopolitics — would welcome U.S. presence to buffer the heavy influence that its neighbors already have over a small country sandwiched between China and Japan. The U.S. should thus spare no efforts to demonstrate its commitments to its allies and leadership in the region. Even though U.S. Asia-Pacific policy may take a different trajectory if Obama fails to get re-elected, the current administration has crafted a promising regional agenda. In an address to the Australian Parliament in November last year, Obama declared the commitment that the Pentagon would “rebalance” the armed forces toward the Asia-Pacific region in the aftermath of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and the winding down of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Obama also emphasized that the shrink in the military budget would not influence the reorientation of U.S. armed forces toward Asia. On the other hand, challenges remain. In an effort not to make the “China Threat” a self-fulfilling prophecy, it is important to stay tuned to the voices from Beijing. In fact, there is a pronounced commitment by Beijing to maintain a peaceful environment in East Asia. From at least the early 1990s, Chinese foreign policy conforms to the guideline spearheaded by the great Chinese reformer Deng Xiaoping, which says: “keep a low profile and achieve something.” The reformulated version is now taking shape. During a speech at a highly influential, People’s Liberation Army-affiliated think tank in Beijing, General Ma Xiaotian, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the PLA states that China should “uphold keeping a low profile and actively achieve something.” This revised recommendation is crucial given the growing PLA influence
in the Chinese Communist Party and the consensus required between the two before any new guidelines can be announced. Beijing’s continued commitment to peaceful development is self-revealing. To manage potential fault lines with China, there are three areas that the U.S. needs to handle with care. First, Taiwan will remain a priority in Sino-American relations. The Beijing government regards Taiwan as the last uncovered part of the Chinese nationalist body, and is almost willing to do anything to prevent Taiwanese independence. Second, China’s historical unresolved grief dating back to Japanese occupation during WWII still factors heavily into China’s foreign policy: for China, Japanese militarization is much more haunting than that of any other countries. In light of this, a strengthened U.S.-Japan Security Alliance will not only consolidate a U.S. military foothold in East Asia, but also ease Chinese security anxiety about a resurgence of Japanese militarism. Third, disputable islands in East and South China Seas may develop into battlegrounds if mishandled. The U.S. should actively maintain a gesture that it is willing not to stand by any one party, but to help facilitate communication and mediation among involved parties. To embrace the coming age of Pax Pacifica, the U.S. should actively seize the opportunities to reinforce its much-needed leadership in resolving conflicts and maintaining peace in the Asia-Pacific against the backdrop of withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Middle East. However, challenges remain and may develop into conflicts if not handled appropriately. Only with such understanding in words and deeds can the Asia-Pacific be truly pacific. Shiran is a senior. You can reach her at sshen1@swarthmore.edu.
Think Climate: a campus dialogue on global warming BY ALEX AHN & HAYDEN DAHMM jahn1@swarthmore.edu, hdahmm1@swarthmore.edu
In 1824, a lengthy article titled “General remarks on the temperature of the Earth and Planetary Spaces” appeared, buried deep in the back pages of the French scientific journal Annales de Chimie et de Physique. Its author, Joseph Fourier, was a mathematician and physicist who was investigating possible sources of the additional heat that appeared to keep the Earth significantly warmer than it should be, given its incredible distance from the sun. One of the ideas he postulated in the publication — that the atmosphere might function as an insulator for the planet — grew in the next two centuries into what is perhaps the most complex and controversial subject of scientific and public discourse: global warming. But why should it be so controversial? If there ever was one, global warming is the greatest threat to civilization in the foreseeable future. Rising temperatures and consequential climatic shifts threaten to throw the Earth’s energy balance into irretrievable positive feedback loops, increase the likelihood of extreme weather disasters that previously were extremely rare, damage count-
OP-ED
less ecosystems and impair crop yields in critical production regions around the world. So who’s talking about it? Not many. There is a dearth of coverage in the mainstream media, and even when it is covered, standard practices of journalism demand that skeptics of questionable credentials and ulterior motives be placed on equal footing with climate scientists who conduct scholarly research. However, because legitimate climatologists who disagree with the scientific consensus are so rare, reporters are forced to cite a small number of skeptics who are typically unqualified. Myron Ebell, Director of Energy and Global Warming and International Environmental Policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), is one such example. Despite his impressive title, he has no academic background in climatology or any natural sciences. That has not stopped him, however, from writing numerous op-ed articles on the exaggeration of the dangers of global warming or convincing the Bush administration not to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. Christopher Horner, another high-ranking expert at CEI, has written three books on global warming but has never in any way been involved with climate research. He has a law degree, but no scientific qualifications. Coupled with a sophisticated
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campaign financed by the fossil fuel industry to malign scientists and to spread disinformation about global warming, the failure of mainstream media and environmental messaging has resulted in the solidification of a large sub-population of this country who are tragically misled on the status quo of climate science. According to a Yale study conducted last year, 40 percent of Americans believe that there is a lot of disagreement among scientists as to whether global warming is happening, which is utterly false. It is important to note that before a campaign was mounted by the coal and oil lobby to manipulate public opinion, the scientific consensus was known about by average Americans. Case in point: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), now often denounced on Fox News as a political scheme to push left-wing agendas, had the full support of then-presidential candidate George H.W. Bush in 1988 when it was formed to advise policymakers on the world’s climate. In fact, he was even quoted thus on the campaign trail: “those who think we are powerless to do anything about the ‘greenhouse effect’ forget about the ‘White House effect’; as president, I intend to do something about it.” Bush promised, that as president, he would take dramatic measures to curb the rate at which we were changing the global environment: “we will
February 2, 2012
talk about global warming and we will act.” The IPCC published its First Assessment Report in 1990, revealing the imperative for countries around the world to tackle global warming (i.e. reduce carbon dioxide emissions). Immediately, the fossil fuel lobby — to be more specific, the Edison Electric Institute, Western Fuels Association, and the National Coal Association — launched a coordinated attack against the public understanding of science, according to a leaked memo published in The New York Times, to “reposition global warming as theory, not fact.” It was called the Information Council on the Environment, and counted numerous discredited experts on their scientific advisory panel. Unfortunately, the ICE has been followed by numerous other projects from the fossil fuel lobby that have been much more successful. The history of this disinformation campaign is surprisingly well-documented, though little noticed. The impact it has had on the public sphere, however, cannot go unnoticed. A Gallup poll in 2011 revealed that 43% of Americans believe that global warming is caused by natural changes in the environment, and that the same percentage believe it is generally exaggerated in the news. Although this is a status quo no other developed nation suffers, America’s position as a glob-
al superpower has allowed such domestic propaganda to set the agenda for the entire world. As the Earth’s atmosphere continues to warm dangerously and creep ever near the tipping point of runaway positive feedback loops, we find ourselves in critical need of clear messaging on the climate front unadulterated by the political or financial interests of those who are responsible for this environmental and human crisis. This dire necessity is precipitated in the formation of “Think Climate” — a new student organization on the Swarthmore campus poised to join the struggle for clear, honest reporting on climate and renewable energy, as well as critiquing the mainstream media on their climate coverage. This initiative has manifested itself as a weekly radio program on WSRN 91.5 FM, also under the name “Think Climate.” We hope to branch out into the community and to spark a lively discussion on campus centered around climate change, emphasizing the necessity of immediate action. Through this op-ed column, we hope to lay the seeds of this important discourse. Please write to us if you have any questions about global warming. The first official meeting of Think Climate will be held on Friday, Feb. 10, in Kohlberg 114, beginning at 4:30 p.m. All students, including skeptics, are welcome to attend.
THE PHOENIX
Sports
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How responsible are managers for their players? Early last season, Ful- have a history of making bad decisions in high-pressure Manchester United and Liverpool had been overshadham captain Danny Mur- matches against Barcelona and the pressure put on the owed by the racism scandal between Luis Suárez and phy became engaged in coach beforehand would only have made their situation Patrice Evra but this match was played with minimal a war of words with the more desperate as they would no longer have the typi- fuss and resulted in only one card for a professional, but not malicious, foul by United’s right back Rafael on StuWolverhampton Wander- cal calm of Mourinho to look to. art Downing. Because the You can’t completely blame ers manager over the role tackles and fan hooliganof the manager in getting Mourinho for his team’s lack of disism typically overshadow players overly excited dur- cipline but he does not help them While a manager wants his this game, it was refreshing ing games. Murphy’s com- with his antics, both on and off the ments were in response to field. He cannot help but get into a team to play the best it can, to see the game finish with no controversy. the challenge by Wolves media war with Barcelona and the he has a responsibility to The biggest reasons for James Ivey midfielder Karl Henry press before every match, most reprevent players from this well-ehaved display, that left Fulham striker cently staying silent during a press Out of Left Field in my opinion, were the Bobby Zamora with a bro- conference, leading to members of making bad tackles and continued attempts by both ken leg. Henry was later the local press storming out. ending someone’s career. managers to get their teams In the Spanish Super Cup at the punished after another to play respectfully. For the beginning of the season, he tried dangerous tackle on Wigan’s Jordi Gomez. two weeks leading up to While Murphy raised the issue that some managers to stick his finger into Barcelona the game both Kenny Dalgare known for a more physical type of soccer, it has not assistant manager Tito Vilanova’s been addressed. Last season had some particularly bad eye during a brawl on the sideline. Mourinho has never lish and Sir Alex Ferguson gave interviews where they tackles: Zamora’s broken leg, Nigel De Jong’s season been a perfect example for his players and can create stressed the importance of playing within the rules and ending challenge on Hatem Ben Arfa, Paul Robinson’s more problems than he solves. Mourinho, the “Special of the players and fans behaving themselves. The mantackle on Abou Diaby. This season has seen a few bad One,” is anything but a regular manager, though. And agers helped to make the game cordial and clean unlike challenges already. But what is more interesting is so maybe these antics can be attributed as a cause for the the Classico. Both of these games are the top derbies in their rewhether the managers should be considered responsi- discipline problems that beset Real Madrid during high pressure matches such as the Classico. But Mourinho spective countries, but the approaches were completely ble for how their players act on the pitch. A great example of how a manager can often put cannot be held fully responsible for his players being different. I don’t think this is down to the football culplayers in unnecessary stress about a game is José sent off because a manager never wants to play a game ture, since the British fans are typically the worst in Mourinho’s handling of the recent batch of Classicos. with only 10 men on the field. Real Madrid’s best defen- terms of behavior (Glasgow derby) and exerting their The now infamous incident of the hand stamping by sive players have to look in the mirror and see that de- will upon the clubs’ policy (Blackburn). This was down Pepe and the late dismissal of Sergio Ramos in the sec- spite all the hype of the Classico, it is up to them to not to the way that the managers prepared their teams for ond leg point to the problem that Real Madrid became get carried away if they want to win. The last time Real the game and they presented the game as an athletic much too worked up against Barcelona. Real Madrid Madrid beat Barcelona (2011 Copa Del Rey) they lasted contest, and not a chance for revenge or humiliation. Mourinho seemed to have lost some control of his received 11 yellow cards and one red across two games until the 120th minute before losing Angél di María. The English equivalent to the Classico, the North team and the team consequently acted with ill disciwhile Barcelona received only four yellows in the same period. The difference is huge and one major reason for West Derby, was, in contrast, a well-mannered affair pline. Ferguson and Dalglish made sure they had conit is in the way that Mourinho and Josep Guardiola pre- for the first time in years. The previous match between trol of their dressing rooms and produced a fine display of football that contained only one bad pare their players for the matches. tackle throughout. While Guardiola is a calming presThe first example I used in this column ence that prepares all his players was of Danny Murphy accusing Karl Henpsychologically for the task ahead, ry over his horror challenges and Wolves Mourinho is almost a polar opposite. manager Mick McCarthy of exciting his The recent criticisms leveled at the Maplayers too much. These were problems drid manager have caused him to bein mid-table premier league matches become quite rattled over the last week. tween two teams that had little history First he was booed during Madrid’s of playing each other. Henry is a perfect 4-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao at the example of a player that needs a manager Bernabéu, followed by the supposed that can calm him down as his dismissal bust-up within the dressing room and for kicking Mark Albrighton two weeks on the training field between him and ago showed. Some players — like Karl Real Madrid talismans Ramos and Iker Henry, Sergio Ramos, and Pepe, for examCasillas. This leads me back to my main ple — need a manager not to psych them point: should Mourinho be held partialup for the game but to calm them down. ly responsible for unrest from within While a manager obviously wants his the club spilling out onto the field? In team to play the best that it can against the the case of Pepe, this has all happened opposition, he has a responsibility to his before. Pepe was given a 10 match ban players, the opposition, and the game to in 2009 for twice kicking Getafe’s Javier prevent players he knows to be rash from Casquero, followed by a stamp to the making such bad tackles and possibly endbody, whom he had just brought down ing someone’s career. This isn’t always in the area. possible, but the game should never be Ramos is no saint either, having raised to the intensity that a person may been sent off in a 2010 Classico for have a career ending injury. bringing down Lionel Messi from beCourtesy of givemefootball.com James is a sophomore. You can reach hind and then getting into a brawl with him at jivey1@swarthmore.edu. Carles Puyol. Both of these players Danny Murphy (left) caused a recent controversy over how managers handle players.
GARNET IN ACTION SATURDAY, FEB. 4 (CONT.)
FRIDAY, FEB. 3
Women’s basketball vs. Johns Hopkins, 1:00 p.m.
Track & Field, Haverford McElligott Invitational, 5:00 p.m.
Men’s basketball vs. Johns Hopkins, 3:00 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEB. 4
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 8
Track & Field, Haverford McElligott Invitational, 11:00 a.m.
Women’s basketball vs. Washington College, 6:00 p.m.
Swimming at Dickinson, 2:00 p.m.
THE PHOENIX
Men’s basketball vs. Washington College, 8:00 p.m. February 2, 2012
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Sports
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This time, no trouble for Gettysburg vs. Garnet women
gressive with our man defense and we’re working on implementing new zones,” Kayla Moritzky ’14 said. “Everyone is When the Swarthmore women’s bas- a little bit frustrated but we all have the ketball team hosted Gettysburg in the will to continue to fight and continue on final game before Winter Break on De- through the last three weeks of the seacember 9, the Garnet led by four at the son.” The Garnet scoring was led by Madge half and held Alyssa Oursler, a first team All-Centennial candidate, without a sin- Ross ’13, who posted an efficient 15 points gle point for the game before ultimately on 6-of-10 shooting while adding five rebounds and two steals. Moritzky was the falling in a heartbreaker 55-52. But on Saturday in the rematch on only other Swarthmore player in double the Battlefield, the Bullets jumped on the figures with 10 points as the team again Garnet early, building up a double-digit struggled from the floor, shooting just lead just 7:30 into the first half of play 25.8 percent for the game including just and closing the first half on a 21-5 run 25.6 percent inside the three-point arc. “Gettysburg over the final 7:22 played great,” to lead by 22 at the head coach Renee break en route to a said. 77-51 final that left We’re going to go at each DeVarney “We didn’t play the Garnet clinging to their last [game] as hard as we can horrible, but they a step quickstrands of playoff ... I know that playoffs are were er and made all of life. still possible for us. their open shots. The Bullets We played better shot a staggering Nicole Rizzo ’12 in the second half, 65.6 percent from but that seems to the floor in the be the story of our first half and were led by 17 points in the period by Oursler year. When we put two halves together, who scored only two points in the sec- we can do well.” Indeed, the Garnet forced seven turnond. With a combination of backdoor cuts and fades, she scored at will even as overs and held the Bullets to 26-percent the Garnet switched between man and shooting in a strong defensive perforzone in an effort to slow down the seem- mance after halftime.. But the offense continued to struggle as the team hit on ingly unstoppable Gettysburg offense. “They run through their offenses re- just five of 32 field goal attempts, 15.6 perally well, so even when they don’t score cent. Since a dominant victory at Haverquickly, they wait for a good shot so that ford on January 18th when the team shot makes them very hard to defend,” Nicole 51 percent, Swarthmore has hit just 56 of Rizzo ’12 said. “They are a very disci- 171 field goal attempts, 32.8 percent. Over that same span, the team is just plined team, have a few set offenses that they run consistently well, and always 12-61 from three. For a team whose identity revolves around living and dying by stay composed.” Staying disciplined on defense has the three, the shooting touch has desertbeen a focus in practice this past week ed the Garnet. Swarthmore also caught the Bullets for the team. “Something that we’re working on in practice is being more ag- at a bad time. The win on Saturday was by victor brady vbrady1@swarthmore.edu
Garnet athlete of the week
Supriya Davis
FIRST-YEAR, SWIMMING, CHAPEL HILL, NC.
WHAT SHE’S DONE: In addition to being part of the relay team that finished first in the 400 medley, Davis also won back-to-back individual events in the 200 IM and 200 butterfly. FAVORITE CAREER MOMENT: “My favorite career moment was probably the cheer the women’s team did in the middle of the Gettysburg meet because everyone had so much energy.” WHAT SHE WANTS TO DO: “Our goal is to swim our hearts out at conferences.”
Cristina Matamoros The Phoenix
BEST CLASS SHE’S TAKEN AT SWARTHMORE (SO FAR): “‘Chem 10H Seminar.”
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Gettysburg’s seventh in a row. No team has scored more than 60 points in that span. Add in a nearly-three-hour bus ride and it’s all a formula for Saturday’s result. Interestingly, it has been nearly two full years since Swarthmore’s baseball team won at Gettysburg, the last time the Garnet was victorious on the Battlefield in a varsity team, as opposed to individual, sport. The Garnet remains optimistic and excited about the challenge of playing five contests to end the season which are, for all practical purposes, each elimination games. “We’re going to go at each as hard as we can. They are tough games, but this Conference is great because it is so competitive, and we know that anyone can beat anyone else. I know that playoffs are still possible for us,” Rizzo said. Added DeVarney, “We have really been on a roller coaster. We know we
are not as good as our greatest day at Haverford and we know we are not as bad as our worst days at Gettysburg or Hopkins. Many of our key players are freshmen and sophomores and I think consistency will come. We are excited and cautiously optimistic.” The roller-coaster ride continued Wednesday on the road against Muhlenberg, where the Garnet fell to the Mules 81-46. They shot 32 percent from the field. The Garnet returns to the court on Saturday hosting Johns Hopkins at 1 p.m. When the teams first met in Baltimore this year, the Garnet led 20-18 midway through the first half before Hopkins closed out the opening stanza on a 30-8 run en route to a 71-39 win. The Blue Jays, who sit in first place in the Conference, were ranked No. 25 in the latest d3hoops.com national poll.
sports poll
Faculty Picks: SB XLVI The Phoenix e-mailed a bunch of your professors and coaches, asking them to predict the Super Bowl. Here are their guesses: Michael Brown, Physics PATRIOTS 24, Giants 21 Vera Brusentsev, Economics PATRIOTS 28, Giants 7 President Rebecca Chopp GIANTS 24, Patriots 20 Bruce Dorsey, History Chair PATRIOTS 24, Giants 20 Carr Everbach, Engineering PATRIOTS 27, Giants 21 Phil Everson, Statistics “PATRIOTS 31, Giants 24. You reminded me I did want to compile the data to add to my big NFL database. I ran some basic regressions to get a prediction for NE vs. NYG on a neutral field. The best fit for NE’s score was between 29 and 33, and for NYG it was between 23 and 27 (of course, the prediction intervals are enormous!). Then I looked at the frequencies of individual point totals in NFL games and picked 31-24 as a likely score. We’ll see what actually happens.” Stan Exeter, Baseball Head Coach “GIANTS 34, Other Team 27. Go Big Blue.” Ted Fernald, Lingiustics PATRIOTS 34, Giants 31 Scott Gilbert, Biology “I’m still recovering from the dreadful performance of the Packers, but I’ll go with the GIANTS: 24, Patriots 21.” Steven Hopkins, Religion “This is difficult, but the gut says, without thinking too much—does the gut ever think?—GIANTS, crazy squeaker, 26-24. Trails of star dust coming out.
February 2, 2012
from the untucked shirt of Eli Manning? But anything can happen.” Brian Johnson, Russian “Patriots by 6.” Ellen Magenheim, Economics Chair GIANTS 24, Patriots 21 Michael Marissen, Music Chair GIANTS 28, Patriots 21 Matt Murphy, Political Science “GIANTS 28, Patriots 23. Because let’s face it, some real giants could beat real patriots.”
Donna Jo Napoli, Linguistics Chair “What’s the Super Bowl? Who’s playing? I say the one with the shorter name will win. I say the score will be 49 (since 7 x 7 is such a lucky number) to 42 (since close games are more fun). But I hope it’s a tie, because I love ties.” Tia Newhall, Computer Science “I could only give you a random guess … Packers by 10 points?” Eric Song, English “GIANTS win 24-21!” Richard Valelly, Political Science “PATRIOTS will win, but not by much.” Elizabeth Vallen, Biology “2 concussions to 1 concussion. Not sure about the winner.” Andrew Ward, Chair of Psychology “Given that I grew up not all that far from Foxboro, MA and I have a nephew who has worked for the organization and their former coach once lived on the next street, I think I have go with the New England Patriots. I’ll say PATRIOTS 24, Giants 17.” THE PHOENIX
Sports
swarthmorephoenix.com
The need to find greatness somewhere, somehow It took less time than years ago. down and acknowledged that the Giants were a decent normal for this year’s SuTo hear the voices in the media, however, you would team with a very good quarterback whose defensive line per Bowl coverage to make think that a Giants-Patriots Super Bowl has been decreed got healthy at the right time and avoided the one playme feel like heatstroke was from on high, preordained by the same football gods who off match-up that really scared them (having to play the imminent. Looking back, it once let Trent Dilfer win a championship. It’s a fascinat- Saints in New Orleans). This seems immensely preferable might have been the article ing opportunity to see how the media either can’t or won’t to being force-fed the idea that the Giants’ clutch, gritty with the headline “Ahmad deal with a situation where two obviously flawed teams intangibles are flat-out better than any other team’s. The Bradshaw’s heart inspires are the last ones standing. The hole in the football nar- last time I checked, their roster isn’t made up of fiftyNew York Giants” that fi- rative caused by the absence of any real greatness gets three Derek Jeters, and they aren’t scoring points off of nally did it. Maybe it was patched up with stories of destiny and intangibles (Eli’s Ahmad Bradshaw’s heart. the story about how the Pa- “psychological edge”), as greatness in disguise. As a reIt’s hard to deny the appeal that comes with watching triots had a truly great team, and so those involved can be forTimothy Bernstein d i v i n e intervengiven for doing their best Bullet Points tion on to convince us that we are t h e i r watching exactly that. Yet, s i d e some sports better than against others have been able to Baltimore because a receiver dropped embrace the constant disa touchdown and the kicker missed a connect between the best field goal in the same game. Could it teams and the championhave been the debate on “ESPN First ship teams; in baseball, a Take,” still TV’s best case for deafness, wild-card team that won 90 on whether or not Eli Manning has a games could only win the “psychological edge” over Tom Brady? World Series so many times Lest any Giants fan lose sleep, Stephen before the experts threw A. Smith thinks he does. up their hands and the All the same, I can’t help but feel a “Moneyball”-inspired conlittle sorry for everyone tasked with cept of playoff randomness providing two weeks of hype for these started to gain real traction. teams. If this year’s coverage seems a On the flip side, it’s in little more awful than usual, as if every the NFL universe, more writer is going with his sixth-best idea than anywhere else, where for a story, the urge to retch is underthis notion that only the standable. Divine intervention and Ahbest will make it to the finmad Bradshaw’s heart aside, neither ish line stubbornly persists. the Giants nor the Patriots are anyone’s Whoever wins on Sunday idea of a “great” team, and while it’s will automatically become Courtesy of fanfeedr.com anybody’s guess of what “great” truly the brightest star in the is, it’s a little easier to see what it isn’t. The New York Giants will play the New England Patriots on Sunday in Super Bowl 46 from Indianapolis. constellation, no matter New England had not defeated a team what. with a winning record this year before There are probably a they beat the Ravens to go to the Super Bowl, and appar- sult, these become the two ends of the spectrum in the dozen other columns to be written about why exactly this ently it took “an angel on their side” to do even that. media’s story — greatness or destiny, with nothing in is, all pivoting on one glib axiom or another about footThe Giants, for their part, would be the first Super between. ball as a symbol of … whatever. Life’s constant struggle Bowl-winning team in NFL history to have been outOf course, there’s a chance none of this really mat- to gain even a little ground? Sure. The meritocracy that scored on the season. The ’07 Patriots and ’86 Giants ters, since as long as everyone is willing to go along with doesn’t exist in the real world? Fine. A strategic military these teams are not, and there’s nothing wrong with that. those two choices, then the fact that there doesn’t seem campaign? George Carlin already did that one. Somebody has to win every year, and as far as the 2011 to be any sort of middle ground won’t mean a thing. But I Instead, I’ll go with the simplest answer I can think contenders were concerned, things could have been a lot hope that it does matter. I want to believe that we are get- of: Football is the people’s game, and in the media’s eyes, worse. T.J. Yates? Green Bay and the worst defense in ting smarter in the way we watch sports today, and that the people demand greatness above all else. Well, either history? (whisper) Tim Tebow? Maybe things worked out the notion of fans being intimidated by the gray area is greatness or destiny. But nothing in between. for the best, and not just because the Giants and Patriots ridiculous, and insulting. I’d like to think we could deal Timothy is a junior. He can be reached at tbernst1@ played a reasonably entertaining Super Bowl only four with it if the weekly columnists and talking heads calmed swarthmore.edu.
SPORTS IN BRIEF
Another rally falls short: Gettysburg beats men’s basketball It has been a common theme of late for the Swarthmore men’s basketball team: a late surge leaves the game for their taking, only to give it away in the final minutes. Such was the case once again on Saturday, as the visiting Garnet overcame a doubledigit halftime deficit to pull close, briefly take the lead, and watch Gettysburg go on a run of its own to close out the 80-65 win. Swarthmore (1-18, 1-11) came out cold in the first half, shooting only 30 percent from the field as Gettysburg (9-10, 6-6), behind junior center Christian Bors and his 17 first-half points, built up a lead that stretched to 22 points five minutes before halftime. On the Swarthmore side, only Jay Kober ’14 provided any kind of first-half offense, putting up 10 points. “We started out a little flat offensively in the first half, getting good shots but they just weren’t falling,” senior forward Marc Rogalski ‘12 said. “Our defense was hurt in transition and in the paint, but we [later] did a good job of correcting that.” The Garnet was able to chip away at the Bullets’ lead somewhat before halftime, and went into the locker room trailing 39-27. When the second half started, however, was when they truly caught fire. In the first twelve minutes, Swarthmore outscored Gettysburg 29-16, taking a 56-55 lead with 7:54 remaining. High-scoring forward Will Gates ’13, who had been held to three points in the first half, came alive with 16 second-half points, including the two free throws that put Swarthmore out in front. On the whole, Swarthmore’s shooting improved considerably from the first to the second half, going from 30 to 42 percent. “We tightened up defensively and started taking the ball to the basket causing their defense to collapse, which then opened up more good looks that we started to make,” Eugene Prymak ’13 said. That one-point lead, however, would prove to be the Garnet’s only one of the game.
THE PHOENIX
Though a Prymak layup would tie the game at 60 with 5:20 to go, from there Swarthmore would manage only five more points as the Bullets took a commanding lead once more. After a three-pointer by Gates cut the deficit to 71-65 with just over a minute to play, Gettysburg would tack on nine unanswered points to seal the victory and leave the Garnet out in the cold. Gates’s 19 points lead the team, while Kober ended up with 14 points as the only other Garnet scorer in double digits. Off the bench, Jordan Federer ’14 added eight points and four rebounds, while Jordan Cheney ’14 led the team in assists with three. For the Bullets, while Bors was eventually slowed down with only three secondhalf points, forward Alex Zurn more than made up for it with 15 points in the second half, ultimately leading both teams with 21. Junior guard Derek Brooks was the third Gettysburg player with a double-digit point total, tallying 17 along with four rebounds and five assists. Although the Bullets did not hit a single three-point shot (0-for-7), they still managed an incredibly efficient 56 percent from the field, outscoring Swarthmore 46-22 in the paint. The Garnet shot 36 percent on the afternoon. “We have been in a position late to win the game four games in a row now,” Prymak said, “so our improvement is showing and its only a matter of time before we get another victory.” Unfortunately, that victory did not come on Wednesday, as the Garnet lost once more to Muhlenberg 68-51 to fall to 1-19 on the season and 1-12 in conference play. The Garnet will return home this Saturday to take on Johns Hopkins, who defeated Swarthmore 70-61 on January 12th. The tip-off is slated for 3:00 p.m.
February 2, 2012
BY TIMOTHY BERNSTEIN
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Sports
swarthmorephoenix.com
For swimming, losses can’t dim the joy of Senior Day
gone both slowly and quickly. The hours spent practicing in Ware Pool felt interminable, yet the time I shared with my fellow seniors in the water and out has raced past me,” Pollen said. Pitted against the defending conference champions While Pollen appreciated the honor at Saturday’s on Senior Day, the Swarthmore men’s and women’s meet, she says the “true honor is having been able to swim teams both fell to the visiting Gettysburg Bulswim alongside the fine senior ladies and gentlemen lets on Saturday at the Ware Pool. who stood beside me during Saturday’s ceremony. The women’s team played Gettysburg competi“I’m so proud of all of us for sticking it out all four tively all the way through, but ultimately fell in the years, despite tough final relay to lose the meet athletic and academic with a score of 110-95. On times.” the men’s side, Gettysburg Reflecting on the thoroughly dominated the day’s proceedings, Garnet, with the score endCoach Sue Davis found ing at 110-55. the perfect story to “It would have been convey the enthusiasm great to send our seniors of this departing group out with a bang, but Getof seniors. tysburg has a really strong “Last year, I sursquad,” Daniel Duncan ’13 prised the seniors by said. saying, ‘Why don’t you “Still, both our men’s sing the ‘Star-Spangled and women’s teams had Banner?’” Davis resome really great swims called. and it’s good to see everyLawrence suggested one swimming so well so this year that the seclose to conferences.” niors sing the national In the first event of anthem. “All of the sethe day, the relay team of niors sang it, and sang Becky Teng ’14, Kate Wiseit very well,” Davis man ’15, Maggie Regan ’14 said. and Supriya Davis ’15 finThe Garnet now ished first in the 400-yard finds itself near the Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix medley, easily outpacing end of the 2011-12 seaGettysburg with a time of Despite many impressive individual performances, the Garnet dropped two meets to Gettysburg. son. This coming Sat4:06.32. Davis, who has had urday, the team travels one of the most impressive “I think it helped that the girl swimming next to to Dickinson for its final dual meet of the year (start first-year seasons in the program’s history, added two more individual wins in the 200-yard butterfly (2:07.54) me had beaten me in [Conference] Championships time scheduled for 2:00 p.m.). Swarthmore then suspends competition for two last year, and so I told myself, ‘I’m not going to lose to and the 200-yard IM (2:12.03). weeks before traveling to Gettysburg for the CentenHowever, Davis was not the only Garnet first- her again, I’m going to win,’ and I did.” The Garnet and the Bullets traded victories all the nial Conference Championships, held Feb. 17-19. year with an exceptional performance on Satur“We’ll go one meet at a time,” coach Davis said. “I day. Wiseman added two individual victories of her way until the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, own in the 50-yard freestyle (25.17) as well as the which would determine the winner. Unfortunately for just pray everybody stays healthy.” Swarthmore, Gettysburg’s ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams took the top two spots in the relay, ultimately deciding the meet in their team’s favor. In the men’s meet, Gettysburg placed first in every event except for the 1000-yard freestyle, which was won by Swarthmore’s Josh Satre ’13 (10:22.79). On the afternoon, Satre also placed fourth in the 500-yard freestyle (5:05.56), two places behind teammate Dan Duncan ’13 (5:00.02). Although the Garnet men did not win another event, they barely missed out on several more victories. John Flaherty ’14 took second in the 200-yard butterfly (2:04.74), finishing less than a second behind Samuel Griffiths of the Bullets. Tim Brevart ’12 was the runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle (22.01), losing to Gettysburg’s Mike Harmon (21.94) by just seven-hundredths of a second. Senior Day honorees from the men’s team included Brevart, Sam Bullard-Sisken ’12, Dante Fuoco ’12, Lance Liu ’12, Neil Palmer ’12 and Travis Pollen ’12. Pollen and Bullard-Sisken, who both graduated in December, made their return to Swarthmore for the festivities. Naomi Glassman ’12, Rosalie Lawrence ’12, Jacqueline Scala ’12, Carmen Perez-Leahy ’12 and Amelia Possanza ’12 were the Garnet women honored. “Walking toward the coaches to get my hugs and yellow rose was surreal,” Pollen said in an email. “I’d seen plenty of seniors do it before me in previous years, but I never thought about what Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix it would be like to be one of them. The women’s team lost a close meet, 110-95. “Four years on the team seem like they have Falling in the final relay, the Garnet women just barely lost. by timothy bernstein tbernst1@swarthmore.edu
100-yard freestyle (54.44). Other notable performances include Erin Lowe’s ’14 first-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle (5:23.54), and Regan’s win in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:30.82), a victory that kept the Swarthmore women in contention to win the meet. “I was actually really nervous before the race, because the coach told me that I had to win, if we had any chance of winning the meet,” Regan said.
THE PHOENIX
February 2, 2012
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